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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Grenfell fire: pensioner suffers heart attack while revisiting bedsit | Grenfell fire: pensioner suffers heart attack while revisiting bedsit |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Winston Dowarris, who is waiting to be rehoused, collapsed while collecting post from flat opposite Grenfell Tower | Winston Dowarris, who is waiting to be rehoused, collapsed while collecting post from flat opposite Grenfell Tower |
| Diane Taylor | Diane Taylor |
| Mon 29 Jan 2018 15.30 GMT | Mon 29 Jan 2018 15.30 GMT |
| Last modified on Mon 29 Jan 2018 17.15 GMT | |
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| A pensioner who is still waiting to be rehoused after the Grenfell Tower fire has suffered a heart attack while revisiting the bedsit he can no longer live in. | A pensioner who is still waiting to be rehoused after the Grenfell Tower fire has suffered a heart attack while revisiting the bedsit he can no longer live in. |
| Winston Dowarris, 69, was woken on the night of the fire by bits of cladding and other debris blowing into his bedroom through an open window. His bedsit on Hurstway Walk is opposite Grenfell Tower and he witnessed people trapped inside their flats as the blaze swept the building. As the fire took hold, he spoke on the phone to a childhood friend who later died in the fire. | Winston Dowarris, 69, was woken on the night of the fire by bits of cladding and other debris blowing into his bedroom through an open window. His bedsit on Hurstway Walk is opposite Grenfell Tower and he witnessed people trapped inside their flats as the blaze swept the building. As the fire took hold, he spoke on the phone to a childhood friend who later died in the fire. |
| Dowarris, who has skin cancer, is too traumatised by what he witnessed on the night of the fire to continue living there. While visiting the flat to collect his post Dowarris collapsed in pain. He managed to contact a friend, who called 999, and Dowarris was rushed to Hammersmith hospital, where he underwent an emergency angioplasty. He was discharged on Sunday evening although he does not have any stable accommodation. He is temporarily sleeping on a friend’s sofa. | Dowarris, who has skin cancer, is too traumatised by what he witnessed on the night of the fire to continue living there. While visiting the flat to collect his post Dowarris collapsed in pain. He managed to contact a friend, who called 999, and Dowarris was rushed to Hammersmith hospital, where he underwent an emergency angioplasty. He was discharged on Sunday evening although he does not have any stable accommodation. He is temporarily sleeping on a friend’s sofa. |
| Dowarris has been suffering from panic attacks and flashbacks since the fire. He says he was overcome by a panic attack as he approached his block of flats and believes this is what caused his heart attack. | Dowarris has been suffering from panic attacks and flashbacks since the fire. He says he was overcome by a panic attack as he approached his block of flats and believes this is what caused his heart attack. |
| Dowarris, who was born in Jamaica, has lived in the UK since he was six years old and worked as a painter and decorator. His daughter is six months pregnant and he is determined to stay alive to meet his grandchild. | Dowarris, who was born in Jamaica, has lived in the UK since he was six years old and worked as a painter and decorator. His daughter is six months pregnant and he is determined to stay alive to meet his grandchild. |
| “Hurstway Walk is still my address but after collapsing and having a heart attack there, I will never return to live at that bedsit,” he said. “I lived in that bedsit for about six years. It was just one room and it was awful. My oncologist contacted the council and the tenant management organisation many times before the fire asking them to rehouse me and saying that the accommodation wasn’t suitable for a person suffering from cancer. But nothing was done to rehouse me. | “Hurstway Walk is still my address but after collapsing and having a heart attack there, I will never return to live at that bedsit,” he said. “I lived in that bedsit for about six years. It was just one room and it was awful. My oncologist contacted the council and the tenant management organisation many times before the fire asking them to rehouse me and saying that the accommodation wasn’t suitable for a person suffering from cancer. But nothing was done to rehouse me. |
| “I asked six times to be rehoused after the fire but still I was given no accommodation.” | “I asked six times to be rehoused after the fire but still I was given no accommodation.” |
| Dowarris hopes the council will finally do something about his accommodation now he is recovering from heart surgery. | Dowarris hopes the council will finally do something about his accommodation now he is recovering from heart surgery. |
| “They have taken so much from me but I’m not going to let them take my life away. My daughter is due to give birth in a few months’ time and I want to be around for that. The doctors who treated me for my heart attack said I need to rest now and minimise stress but how can I do that when I don’t have any proper place to live?” | “They have taken so much from me but I’m not going to let them take my life away. My daughter is due to give birth in a few months’ time and I want to be around for that. The doctors who treated me for my heart attack said I need to rest now and minimise stress but how can I do that when I don’t have any proper place to live?” |
| A spokesperson for Kensington and Chelsea council said: “We cannot comment on individual cases, but we have sought assurances from hospital staff and we will be referring this issue to the Care for Grenfell team. We understand the trauma that many people are experiencing as a result of the Grenfell tragedy, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure everyone affected has the help they need, including helping people find alternative accommodation away from the Lancaster West estate if they need it. | A spokesperson for Kensington and Chelsea council said: “We cannot comment on individual cases, but we have sought assurances from hospital staff and we will be referring this issue to the Care for Grenfell team. We understand the trauma that many people are experiencing as a result of the Grenfell tragedy, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure everyone affected has the help they need, including helping people find alternative accommodation away from the Lancaster West estate if they need it. |
| A spokeswoman for Imperial College Healthcare NHS trust said: “All discharges at the trust will only take place if a patient is medically fit and it is safe to do so. Many other factors come into play, including ensuring patients have appropriate accommodation to go to and have follow-up care and support in place as needed.” | A spokeswoman for Imperial College Healthcare NHS trust said: “All discharges at the trust will only take place if a patient is medically fit and it is safe to do so. Many other factors come into play, including ensuring patients have appropriate accommodation to go to and have follow-up care and support in place as needed.” |
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