WHEN grandmother-of-two Beryl Wright was diagnosed with a colon disease, she feared she would be unable to battle the condition alone.

But three years later, she is fighting fit and credits professor of colorectal surgery Neil Mortensen for staying by her side and saving her life.

Kidlington resident Mrs Wright said she will be for-ever indebted to the medic and is delighted he was shortlisted for our Hospital Heroes award.

The 69-year-old added: “He saved my life. I was given a 25 per cent chance of survival and he was there through it all. I did not think I was going to make it. I feel like I owe him so much.

“I’m very grateful to Professor Mortensen because I am able to spend time with my grandchildren and more time watching them grow up and achieve things.”

Mrs Wright said she was on holiday in Cornwall in April 2012 when she began to feel unwell but thought she would feel better within a few days.

But when she returned home, she began “screaming in pain” and was rushed to Headington’s John Radcliffe Hospital, where she was diagnosed with diverticulosis.

The condition, which develops when pouches form in the wall of the large intestine, left Mrs Wright heavily sedated for three weeks.

Mrs Wright, who spent a total of eight weeks in hospital, said she also needed stoma surgery, which left her needing to use a colostomy bag.

She added: “It was horrendous. I went into a very dark, horrible place. I never got out of it for a long time. For a whole year, I would not go out unless absolutely necessary and was very isolated and lonely.”

But she said thanks to Professor Mortensen, she was able to have stoma reversal surgery just one year later and no longer needed to use the colostomy bag.

Mrs Wright said she later developed a hernia but it was soon treated by Professor Mortensen and since then she has gone from “strength to strength”. She added: “Professor Mortensen was just so kind to me the whole time. He talks to you like I was a human being. He does not just look at you as a patient.

“He is amazing. I absolutely love him. I thought I just had to nominate him.

“Because of the nature of the condition, people don’t talk about it. It never comes up, it’s a shame really.”

Professor Mortensen said he was “pleasantly surprised” when he discovered he had been nominated for the award.

He added: “I think it’s really great because it shines a light on an area that people are not very happy to talk about. It’s a bit of a Cinderella subject. You don’t hear people talking about stoma bags over the dinner table. It’s more of a team effort. It’s rarely down to one person. I think I’ve been lucky to work in a fantastic institution.”