Mr Alwyn Abraham 2017-03-01 Person 5 5 0

A year ago to the day I badly broke my leg and shattered my knee in a cycling accident. In seconds I went from being a carefree fit retiree looking forward to a holiday to sitting in the road with what I knew was a potentially life changing injury. I was initially dealt with efficiently and kindly by the Ambulance Service and LRI A and E but knew that I was in really safe and professional hands on first meeting Mr Abraham the morning after my accident. Mr Abraham was clear from the outset that my injury was serious, that the treatment would be by external fixator and that he would expect me to have 90% function after a year. I knew when my operation was scheduled for before he left the room and he had already sussed that I liked to be fit and was motivated to get well. He was interested both in my injury and in me as a person. All of my consultations with Mr Abraham were like this. I was encouraged to ask questions regarding my treatment and recovery and I always felt he was genuinely pleased by my progress which made me want to progress further. An external fixator is not all that much fun but Mr Abraham was clear from the start that this was the best method of treatment and with regards to the hazards such as infection he made sure that I knew what to look out for and to do. He gave me the permission to attend the hospital if I had any doubts about possible problems, he empowered me at a time when I felt vulnerable. My fixator was removed after 4 months just as he said it would be and I was discharged from his clinic after 7 months. I am back doing all the gym classes that I did previously and walking the legs of my friends with no limp. The only thing that Mr Abraham was wrong about was that he would have me back on a bike in a year, I did it in 5 months. I could not have got any more professional and human treatment if I had paid millions for it and it came courtesy of our brilliant NHS. I am eternally grateful to Mr Abraham and all of his team at the LRI.