Couple who should have been in Spain to celebrate their birthdays are treated to heartwarming bash inside Vic's intensive care unit

Kind-hearted medics at Blackpool Victoria Hospital threw a birthday bash for a husband and wife poorly with the coronavirus in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Allan and Sandra Teasdale, from Cleveleys, were supposed to spend their 70th birthdays in Spain, but the pandemic meant their three-week stay in a beach-front hotel in Torremolinos, on the Costa del Sol, had to be cancelled.

Instead, Sandra's milestone big day, on April 30, was marked in lockdown - while Allan's, on May 17, was spent having a special breakfast and lunch with his sweetheart inside the Vic's ICU.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"It was not the birthday I was hoping for, but the staff did everything they could to make it special," Allan said.

"The nurses and the physios made me a card and I was even given a caterpillar birthday cake."

The pair were taken to hospital by ambulance on Saturday, May 9, after the couple began to feel "very unwell" - and increasingly worse, Allan said.

They both tested positive for Covid-19, with Allan moved to intensive care on the Monday as his condition continued to worsen.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sandra, the mum of Fleetwood Town chairman and businessman Andy Pilley, followed him three days later.

Sandra and Allan Teasdale, both 70, from Cleveleys, were treated to a special dinner inside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Blackpool Victoria Hospital on Allan's birthday, Sunday, May 17, 2020, while the pair were being treated for the coronavirus Covid-19 (Picture: Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust)Sandra and Allan Teasdale, both 70, from Cleveleys, were treated to a special dinner inside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Blackpool Victoria Hospital on Allan's birthday, Sunday, May 17, 2020, while the pair were being treated for the coronavirus Covid-19 (Picture: Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust)
Sandra and Allan Teasdale, both 70, from Cleveleys, were treated to a special dinner inside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Blackpool Victoria Hospital on Allan's birthday, Sunday, May 17, 2020, while the pair were being treated for the coronavirus Covid-19 (Picture: Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust)

The couple, who between them have five children, seven grandchildren, and one great grandchild, had also been looking forward to a big family barbecue organised by Mr Pilley.

But their loved ones were replaced by medics in full personal protective equipment (PPE) - who went beyond the call of duty to cheer the pair up.

Allan said: "Sandra was in the next room to me on the ITU so the staff arranged for us to have breakfast and lunch together.

"The kindness shown to us was beyond compare."

Sandra's son, Fleetwood Town chairman and owner Andy Pilley, tweeted his gratitude to the Vic medics who saved the pair's livesSandra's son, Fleetwood Town chairman and owner Andy Pilley, tweeted his gratitude to the Vic medics who saved the pair's lives
Sandra's son, Fleetwood Town chairman and owner Andy Pilley, tweeted his gratitude to the Vic medics who saved the pair's lives
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Allan and Sandra were discharged to the general wards later that day as medics applauded them, and are now at home recovering.

And Allan has praised the Vic's hard-working doctors and nurses, who have spent the past three months tackling the virus on the frontlines.

He said: "The staff certainly saved our lives. There was a 50-50 chance of us both surviving the coronavirus and yet we are both home and doing as well as possible."

“We cannot thank the staff enough for what they did for us, their care, kindness, professionalism and compassion was outstanding.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We are now looking forward to having a big family celebration when the Government guidelines allow and then we will be able to really thank the family and Sandra’s daughter,

Michelle, for all the kindness they have shown us both.”

The couple also wanted to thank all the staff who had helped them during their time in hospital on Wards 25 and 23 and ITU and all the allied health staff, such as the physiotherapists who helped their recovery.

In a tweet sent last month, Mr Pilley wrote: "My mum and her husband Allan are currently in ICU at Blackpool Victoria hospital with Covid-19.

"I just want to say thanks to the NHS staff who have been truly amazing caring for them throughout."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And Mr Pilley told The Gazette: “The level of care mum and Allan received from everyone involved in their treatment was truly outstanding, and both my sister Michelle and I can’t thank the team at the hospital enough for their care and compassion during such a difficult time.

"We’re enormously grateful for the work our NHS staff do on a daily basis and we’re so lucky to be able to say that mum and Allan are now at home and recovering well.

"This certainly wasn’t the way we planned to mark their special birthdays, but it meant a lot for them to be together on the ward, and rest assured we’ll be organising a proper family celebration when the time is right.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.