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A grandfather who suffered a devastating stroke could still be alive today if he hadn’t fallen ill on a Sunday, his family claims.

Colin Rogers was taken to Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil following the “brain attack” at his home in Abercynon on April 14.

Patients with his type of stroke, called a basilar artery occlusion, can be given a “game-changing” treatment within 24 hours called a thrombectomy .

It involves surgically removing a blood clot from someone’s brain, a procedure which is often successful in limiting brain damage and preventing long-term disability.

But the operation is not widely available in Wales, requiring most patients to be transferred to England for the specialist procedure.

Colin’s family claim that because he had his stroke that particular Sunday, the treatment was unavailable to him.

Four days after his stroke, Colin died in hospital on April 18 at the age of just 55.

(Image: Callum Rogers)

“Although we don’t know what the outcome would have been, this potentially could have saved his life,” said his devastated son Callum Rogers, 26.

“My dad was denied the chance of survival as Wales does not have access to this treatment and doesn’t have any units.

“We were also told [by a stroke consultant] that if he fell ill on a weekday they would have had a chance to transfer him to a specialist unit in England. Because this was a Sunday it was impossible.

“To find this out is just gut-wrenching.”

Colin, who worked as a mental health nurse, was described by his family as a “proud family man” who was looking forward to spending more time with his six-month-old grandson Henry.

They have now set up a fundraising page in a bid to give others the lifesaving treatment he was denied.

In a statement his family said: “Up to 500 people a year in Wales may die or be left profoundly disabled because of a lack of availability of endovascular thrombectomy. This has to be done within 24 hours or it is too late.

“Colin is not the only person to have died because of this postcode lottery and this is not a new problem.

“We want to change this. We want to raise awareness and campaign for equal access for patients such as Colin, who will die or live a profoundly disabled life without treatment.

“We want to make a difference so that people are not failed by the system as Colin was.”

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The thrombectomy procedure can be carried out at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff – but it depends on the availability of specialist staff.

Experts believe the procedure can offer an 80-90% chance of opening up blocked blood vessels compared to a 30% chance with clot-busting drugs.

What is a thrombectomy? A 3ft-long tube is inserted into an artery and a stent is fed through it into the brain

When it reaches the clot, the stent traps it and removes it, restoring the blood flow

It aims to limit brain damage and prevent long-term disability

Experts believe the procedure can offer an 80-90% chance of opening up blocked blood vessels compared to a 30% chance with clot-busting drugs.

(Image: Callum Rogers)

Carol Bott, director of Stroke Association in Wales said, “Thrombectomy is an exciting and effective new way of treating strokes caused by a clot.

"While only one in 10 patients are suitable for this treatment it can make a massive difference for those who are and we want all eligible patients to be able to access this game-changing treatment as quickly as possible.

“For this to happen we need more specially trained professionals in Wales. We also need all stroke services to be efficient and organised to assess patients quickly, and potentially transfer them to a specialist stroke unit able to perform a thrombectomy.”

Vikki Howells, Welsh Labour Assembly Member for the Cynon Valley, said: “This is truly a heartbreaking case, and my sympathies are with the Rogers family. I will be meeting with them next week to discuss how I can best support them.

“I will also be liaising with the Minister of Health to find out what can be done to make sure no families are affected in this way again.”

A spokeswoman from the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (WHSSC), which is responsible for the joint planning of specialised and tertiary services, said: "Whilst we do not comment on individual cases the general position in Wales is that WHSSC took on the commissioning of mechanical thrombectomy from April 2019.

"Prior to this individual health boards commissioned the service directly from providers.

“In south Wales, WHSSC accesses treatment from provider hospitals in Cardiff and Bristol on a case-by-case basis dependent on the capacity available at the hospitals when required.

"The capacity depends on the availability of specialist staff able to carry out the procedure which has varied over time.

"The University Hospital Wales, Cardiff, has recently recruited a second consultant who is due to start in autumn 2019, allowing the service to be developed further.

“Treatment for patients from mid Wales and north Wales is usually commissioned from hospitals in the Midlands or Liverpool, again dependent on the availability of specialist staff.

“To the extent that specialist staff are available, this is a seven day a week service.”

If you would like to donate to the family's JustGiving page, which has a target of £3,000, click here .