On Wednesday, December 28, 2016, the life of the Nokes family changed forever.
Claire Nokes, described as a bubbly, funny and hard-working young woman, suddenly collapsed at a friend’s house after going into cardiac arrest.
Despite the tireless efforts of first responders at the scene, followed by staff at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW), she was starved of oxygen to the brain and would tragically never recover. After spending nine months receiving round-the-clock care at Rookwood Hospital, Claire passed away at the age of just 26.
“I have a smile on my face just thinking about her,” recalled her doting dad Len Nokes, Medical Director at Cardiff City FC. “Everyone I speak to says she was just so full of life. She was an amazing, lovely lass who I miss every single day.”
Claire, who was subsequently found to have a condition called myocarditis, was given medication so that her heart was in a ‘shockable’ rhythm; however, by that time, the damage had already been done and she was in a vegetative state.
Len, who went into “doctor mode” to try and cope with the initial shock and grief, said it was extremely difficult to keep it together in such horrific circumstances.
“I think the worst part was the hope that she would improve, but it never happened. All we kept on being told was that ‘only time will tell’,” he added. “I called the nurses my ‘angels’ because without them, I don’t think my wife Sarah and I could have survived. They were constantly there for us.”
Len said that Claire and the family were greatly supported by the Prop Appeal, a fund managed by the Cardiff & Vale Health Charity which supports patients and families going through brain injury rehabilitation.
“The Prop Appeal helped buy things for the ward which you wouldn’t expect the NHS to pay for,” added Len, who is now a patron for the appeal. “They brought in technology to provide visual and hearing stimulation, as well as help the physiotherapists. It was the little things they did that made a big difference.”
Two years after Claire’s death, Len decided to release a book, entitled ‘Only Time Will Tell: A Father’s Journey,’ detailing a raw and honest account of his journey whilst Claire was in hospital.
“Sitting holding Claire's hand in hospital, I promised I'd write a book about what she was going through and what I was going through, he added. “It's my journey, no-one else's. It's not Sarah, my wife's or Chris, my son's journey. They've got their own perspective.”
Len has also helped keep Claire’s memory alive in many other ways. He is now the independent chair of Save a Life Cymru, a body established by the Welsh Government to help improve people’s awareness of cardiac arrests and basic life support skills such as CPR and defibrillation.
And his next venture promises to be a memorable occasion – a charity football match at Cardiff City Stadium.
On Friday, May 9 (kick off 6.30pm), a Cardiff City Select XI, captained by Joe Ledley, will take on an international All Stars XI led by another former Bluebirds favourite, David Marshall.
Other famous faces set to play include Craig Bellamy, Sean Morrison, Gavin Rae, Kevin McNaughton, Scott Young, Lee Tomlin, Lee Peltier, Craig Conway, Robert Earnshaw, Jay Bothroyd, Michael Chopra, Fraizer Campbell, Darren Purse, Ben Turner, Lee Camp, Chris Burke, Andy Legg, Damon Searle, Jason Fowler, Lee Trundle and Anthony Pilkington.
All the money raised on the day will go towards the Prop Appeal.
“I’ve always loved the [Cardiff City] players; I call them my kids, even the older ones,” Len joked. “We now have a Former Players’ Association, and I put a message in the WhatsApp group asking whether anyone would be interested in taking part in a charity match. Before I knew it, whoosh – the floodgates opened. We had such a terrific response.
“It’s so important to continue to raise money for the Prop Appeal. Cardiff City FC have been magnificent in making this happen. So many people are giving their time and efforts for free and I can’t thank them enough.”
Tickets to the City XI vs All Stars XI are on sale now and are available by clicking here.
For more information on the Prop Appeal, managed by Cardiff & Vale Health Charity, click here.
Let’s come together to honour Claire’s memory and raise funds to help others.