It’s Survivor Series Saturday Featuring Niall Harrison

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Survivor Story from Niall Harrison.

Before you read on, I just want to say that this is a very long and detailed letter. Mainly to myself and for myself. It’s not shared for sympathy or attention, but because understanding exactly what happened — the why and the how — is part of how I’m processing it all. I’m someone who needs the facts to build a complete picture. I’ve even contacted St John Ambulance to request the recording of my 000 call, because I want to fully understand that day and, most importantly, to personally thank the paramedics who found me and saved my life. I don’t expect people to read it but I’ve been contacted by a support group in America to share my story. So if you are interested and have a spare 15 minutes, here it is. 

Hi everyone,

I wanted to give you all an update on what’s been happening since 2nd November 2025. I’ve tried to find the right words because this has been the most frightening, emotional and overwhelming period of my life, and many people don’t know just how serious things have been.

Many of you know that I suffered a Type A aortic dissection, one of the most deadly medical emergencies a person can face. In my case, the tear in my aorta was massive, and the surgical team later told me it was the most complex and challenging cases/surgery they had ever undertaken. Many people don’t survive an injury like this, and the fact that I am still here is something I will be forever grateful for.

I have no memory of the day it happened, or of almost a full week afterwards. From what I’ve been told, I somehow managed to call 000 myself (which I found out a couple of weeks later while looking at my call history) from my car at the top of the Armadale Shopping Centre. I reported severe ripping chest pain, profuse sweating and disorientation. It all happened suddenly and completely out of the blue. It took the paramedics about 15 minutes to locate me, using their sirens while the operator listened through my phone call. I will forever be grateful to the ambos who found me and saved my life.

I was taken to Armadale Hospital, where scans quickly confirmed the dissection, and I was immediately transferred to Fiona Stanley Hospital as a Priority 1 emergency. While this was happening, my family received the devastating call telling them to get to the hospital urgently, as the situation was extremely serious and there was no guarantee I would survive. Knowing now what they went through in those 9 hours of surgery and the days and weeks following is heartbreaking for me. When my daughter stated she thought she was going to be an orphan absolutely devastated me. 

When I arrived at Fiona Stanley late on a Sunday afternoon, a full team of doctors was already waiting. The professionalism, skill and compassion shown by everyone involved was extraordinary. My main surgeon — who I still call my lifesaving angel — went above and beyond. She checked on me constantly throughout my stay, stayed updated even while attending a conference interstate, and personally stopped in to see me on her way home from the airport. I will never be able to express how grateful I am to her and to the entire surgical team.

To save my life, they performed a nine-hour Bentall Procedure, one of the most complex forms of open-heart surgery. My chest was opened, my sternum cut, and the surgeons worked all the way up toward the arteries supplying my brain. The destroyed section of my aorta was removed and replaced with a synthetic graft, a new aortic valve was implanted, and my coronary arteries were carefully reattached. Parts of my ascending aorta and aortic arch were also replaced.

Because the tear extended into the aortic arch, the surgeons also had to carefully detach, rebuild and reconnect the major blood vessels supplying my brain and neck. This process, known as debranching and reconstruction, is incredibly delicate and high-risk. These arteries supply the brain, and even minutes without blood flow can cause catastrophic damage. The level of precision and teamwork required is almost impossible to comprehend, and it is another reason my case was considered so complex.

About a week after the initial surgery, I developed another life-threatening complication called a cardiac tamponade. Fluid rapidly built up around my heart, placing dangerous pressure on it and preventing it from filling and pumping properly. During an urgent echocardiogram, the cardiologist quietly said to me, “You’ll be seeing your surgeon very soon.” By the time I was wheeled back to my room, my surgeon was already sitting there waiting. Everything moved with calm urgency. I was taken straight back to theatre, where a large volume of fluid was drained from around my heart. Without this immediate intervention, I would not have survived. I then spent several more days in ICU while my heart stabilised.

After the initial surgery, I also experienced a small stroke, which caused weakness on my right side. Thankfully, this has steadily improved with time and rehabilitation.

Over my first admission, I spent weeks in hospital, including extended time in ICU. I woke many times to teams of doctors around my bed as my heart rate swung dangerously high and low. Over three and a half weeks, I had more than 80 injections and blood tests, along with multiple arterial lines. Throughout it all, the nurses, doctors and support staff were unfailingly kind, attentive and professional.

After finally coming home, my recovery was complicated by repeated episodes of dizziness and neurological symptoms. After an extreme  episode of dizziness, numb mouth and tongue and a tingling left arm,  I went back to Fiona Stanley Emergency. I was readmitted for more then another week in hospital, where further scans showed small, temporary interruptions to blood flow to the brain (TIAs), but thankfully no major stroke or new damage. My medications were adjusted, and once again I was surrounded by an incredible team who monitored me closely and treated me with compassion and care.

In total, I spent over a month in hospital. Not the best place to get comfortable but the bonus is I lost nearly 10 kg n that time. 

There were also moments during my stays that really brought home how close everything had been. Sitting in my room one day, a doctor poked his head in and said, “You wouldn’t remember me.” He was the anaesthetist from the day of the incident. He showed me one of my scans and explained that he was now using it at an upcoming anaesthetics conference. On the image, what had once been my heart valve looked like strands of spaghetti, flowing backwards and forwards with each heartbeat. It was confronting, but also grounding to finally see what my body had been through.

On my final stay, a nurse began a sentence with, “People don’t normally sur—” before stopping herself. My daughter and I both laughed and finished it for her: “Yes, they don’t normally survive.” Later, a doctor came to my bedside and said, “I heard you were on my ward, but I didn’t think I’d actually get to meet you.” He told me my scans and my story were already being shared among doctors. Hearing that was sobering, but it also reinforced just how extraordinary the care I received really was.

At every stage — from ICU to the wards — the dedication, kindness and skill of the staff at Fiona Stanley Hospital, Armadale Hospital, and the ambulance service has been nothing short of extraordinary. They didn’t just treat me as a patient; they treated me as a person.

Through everything, my family and my extremely patient partner, Ursula , never left my side. They carried me through the fear, the setbacks and the long days, and they continue to support me as I recover. I simply would not be here without them.

I’m home again now, taking things slowly. There is still a long road ahead, but every day feels like a gift. I’m deeply grateful for the second chance I’ve been given, and for every person who played a part in getting me here.

Thank you to everyone who has checked in, sent messages, or kept me in your thoughts. Your support has meant more than I can ever put into words.

With all my gratitude,

Niall