A PROUD daughter has praised her dialysis patient mum after being told she could die in hospital.

Seventy-year-old Maureen Davies, of Law Street, Hoole, was admitted to Ar -rowe Park Hospital on March 11 and only returned home on August 1.

Her daughter, Julie Ellis feared she would never see her mother sat in her favourite chair by the fire again.

As an infection raged through her body attacking every major organ her family were told she might die.

Mrs Davies had a triple heart by-pass in 1998 and the combination of antibiotics led to renal failure and a dependency upon dialysis.

The grandmother was taken to Arrowe Park for a procedure to correct a faulty arteriovenous fistula (fistula AV) - a device attached to Mrs Davies' arm to assist with dialysis

The fistula AV had become blocked after being struck by an infection.

Doctors moved the fistula to her chest but the infection caused fungi to grow in the tubes. It was moved to her groin where the same infection attacked again.

It was then that she became gravely ill - with all of her major organs becoming affected by the infection.

Mrs Ellis said: 'The doctor told us that it wasn't looking good and that we should prepare ourselves for the worst.

'They then had to put the fistula into her jugular and it was then things started to look up.

'I didn't think that I would see her in her chair again at home. I can't tell you how wonderful it is. The nurses at Arrowe Park were amazing and really helped Mum.'

Grandmother Mrs Davies said: 'The other people in my ward were really sick and I thought the only way I was leaving was in a coffin.

'Whenever I got upset the nurses would rally around me.'

* Julie and Maureen wish to thank all the staff at Arrowe Park Hospital.