Paul Macintosh, 36, suffered two unexplained fits at home in Livingstone towards the end of last month. He died on March 1 (Picture: Media Scotland)
A dad was found dead at home by his mum after putting off getting help because of a ‘crippling fear’ of hospitals.
Paul Macintosh, 36, suffered two unexplained fits at home in Livingstone towards the end of last month. He died on March 1.
His mum Suzanne, 55, described finding him writhing on the floor with his head banging against a chest of drawers after the first episode. She phoned 999 for an ambulance and paramedics advised her son to get himself checked over at the hospital.
But she said: ‘Paul was petrified of hospitals and had a crippling fear of them after his granddad went into one and never came back out, so he just didn’t want to go.’
He suffered another fit a few days later.
Suzanne said paramedics again urged him to speak to a doctor, adding: ‘I told him that he really needed to go in, but he just wouldn’t listen. Now I wish I’d forced him to go.
‘He seemed fine on the night he died and the last time I saw him, at around 8pm, he was asking if I wanted a coffee. But when I walked into his room at 7.40am to wake him up, and he was lying on the floor dead.
‘It’s hard to believe that just last week, I was moaning at him for raiding my fridge all the time, but now he’s gone I do anything to have him back here with me, winding me up.’
Paul Macintosh, from Livingston, was found dead on his bedroom floor by his heartbroken mum Suzanne (Picture: Media Scotland)
Suzanne, who is also gran to Paul’s 17-year-old son, Declan, is now pleading with other young men who are put off visiting doctors and hospitals to get help before it’s too late.
She said: ‘It’s just devastating and I can’t comprehend what has happened.
‘I would urge any young man like Paul to make sure you they get medical help when it’s needed.
‘If Paul had gone to hospital last week, he might still be here now.’
Suzanne is now waiting for a post-mortem and hopes it will give the family some much-needed answers as to what happened. A fundraiser has also been set to help with funeral costs.
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