A Co Down woman whose husband suffered a hypoxic brain injury after a person jumped in front of the train he was driving feels he has been abandoned by a health trust.
Translink worker Gareth Myatt has been in hospital since May after the terrifying incident.
The 44-year-old stopped the engine just in time, but the trauma of the near-miss led to a massive heart attack minutes later. His life was saved by three nurses on board who performed CPR.
However, he suffered a brain injury after he was starved of oxygen and has required round the clock hospital care for the past four months.
Michelle and her husband Gareth who suffered a heart attack and brain injury after someone threw themselves in front of the train he was driving
His wife of 14 years, Michelle, and their children, who live in Bangor, were told it was unlikely he would make it and Mr Myatt was placed into an induced coma. Despite the grim prognosis he “defied all odds” and started to recover.
He was later moved from the Royal Victoria Hospital to the Ulster Hospital, where he remains on a ward.
Gareth has since learned to walk and talk again with Michelle’s help and made “miraculous progress”, according to his doctors.
But his wife is now claiming the next step in his rehabilitation is being stalled and accused the Belfast Trust of “giving up on her husband”.
Gareth and Michelle
Michelle is currently unable to do her job as she cares for her husband and their two young sons, Joshua and Callum, both of whom have autism. She said there has been a lack of clear information.
She wants her husband moved to the Brain Injury Unit for specialist treatment to continue his recovery.
The Belfast Trust said they reviewed Mr Myatt’s case and “he has not been deemed suitable for treatment” in the unit.
Read more
However, Michelle said from the day his injury occurred she has been told he would not recover and would stay in a “vegetative state” — something he has defied — and she believes he can continue to progress with specialist treatment.
“Gareth has surprised the hospital. They have people with brain injuries less than his who are bed bound,” she said.
“He is a fit, young, healthy guy, and I’m now angry that after so much attention was put into saving his life, that it’s gone now when it comes to him actually getting home and living his life.
“If it’s about resources, we know Gareth would end up needing more resources if his rehab didn’t continue in helping him get him home.”
Gareth in hospital alongside one of his sons
Michelle insists her husband “knows what he wants” despite his injury limiting his ability to speak.
“Gareth knows, and he questions, why he isn’t being allowed to recover further, and that’s the most difficult part, I’m trying to give him answers that I can’t give. He’s trapped,” she explained.
“We are private people, we don’t want to share all these things, but I just feel like nothing is going to happen if I don’t start speaking out and bring a spotlight to this. I need to be Gareth’s voice.”
A spokesperson for the Belfast Trust, which manages the Brain Injury Unit, said: “Belfast Trust has reviewed Mr Myatt’s case on three occasions since August 2024.
“Regrettably, he has not been deemed suitable for treatment at the Regional Acquired Brain Injury Unit at Musgrave Park Hospital.
“It is hoped that if his condition improves, he can be reviewed again.”
Michelle said she has no knowledge of these three reviews, insisting her husband’s file has only been looked at virtually. She has requested a physical review take place and says she just wants her husband to recover.
“I have always described it as living in two worlds simultaneously. The world where some of Gareth exists in hospital and the world where he is missing from home,” she added.
“You constantly flick between the two and it is an emotional rollercoaster that you can’t stop, you just hold on and hope we all make it to the end when we can finally merge the two worlds back together.”