Patrick Skelton, 60, has described being in a “living hell” that can last weeks as his complex mental health conditions make sleep “impossible”, his wife Jillian said.
Jillian said the episodes suffered by her husband “can be terrifying, not only for Patrick but also for those who love him”.
When Patrick, who works from home in Welburn near Castle Howard as a programmer and artist, does eventually fall asleep from exhaustion, Jillian said he is “jolted back awake repeatedly”. “It’s like a kind of torture and goes on for days, even weeks.”
The result of the lack of sleep is that Patrick, a father of six and grandfather of 14, “becomes a shell”, Jillian said, “and yet despite all of this, he tries so desperately hard to live a normal life that many who know him don’t even know he has anything wrong”.
“He fought so hard daily to live a normal life that he earned a degree in computer science at the University of York, won the Spektra Tek Prize for Best Final Year Project and began a promising career as a video game programmer for York-based Revolution Software,” Jillian said.
‘He tries so desperately hard to live a normal life’ … Patrick Skelton (Image: Family)
She said Patrick has suffered from mental health difficulties all his life including panic attacks, anxiety and depression.
But she said his health condition has no one name, which makes finding treatment difficult.
‘He fought so hard daily to live a normal life’ (Image: Family)
She said Patrick’s symptoms “cross medical boundaries – part neurological, part cardiology, part psychological”.
Patrick has pursued “every medical avenue open to him” including brain tests, prescribed tablets and psychological help, Jillian said, but his “symptoms have steadily worsened over the years”.
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Jillian said her husband has been told by his GP the NHS “simply does not offer the type of highly specialised, cross-departmental testing that he requires”.
“This illness now has become unbearable for him,” Jillian said. “He describes each day as a game of Russian Roulette: something as normal as gardening may trigger a bad panic attack. This causes an irregular and dangerous heart rhythm that can lead to a stroke.”
Specialist treatment ‘could save his life’
Jillian said she has been left with no other option but to launch a fundraiser to raise £11,000 for private care for Patrick so he can have the specialist tests that are not available on the NHS.
“We are optimistic that specialist consultants using advanced medical imaging can finally discover the cause of his symptoms and perhaps prescribe treatment that could save his life,” Jillian said.
Patrick Skelton (Image: Family)
She added: “We want to understand what is happening to Patrick, whether his symptoms are connected and what treatment options might help him sleep, feel safer and regain some quality of life.
“We appreciate that private appointments and tests cannot guarantee a diagnosis or a cure. What we hope they can provide is a thorough investigation, expert opinions and a clearer plan for managing his condition.”
To support the fundraiser, visit Jillian’s GoFundMe page titled: “Help Patrick get the Specialist Care he so Desperately needs.”