Martin O’Gorman, 68, a resident at Hugh Myddleton House Care Home in Southgate has a very sweet tooth but has not been able to eat cake for over 10 years since his swallowing was affected by a brain haemorrhage in 2002 and further deteriorated in 2013. When asked what he wanted for his birthday, he said he would love to have some cake, so staff set about making his dream come true.
A Londoner born and bred, Martin worked as a psychiatric nurse in Friern Barnet. He has always had a sweet tooth and loves cakes especially. In 2002, Martin started to experience blurred vision, he had a scan and a brain haemorrhage was discovered. Soon he lost his ability to see and was registered blind, his swallowing was also affected. His mobility deteriorated and he was no longer able to eat or drink independently. Because of a high risk of choking and possible further seizures due to the haemorrhage, Martin came to live at Hugh Myddelton House in January 2006. He has been on a modified diet since 2002 and from 2013, when his swallowing deteriorated further, he can now only tolerate pureed food.
On his birthday, the team went into Martin’s room to sing to him and celebrate his special day, Martin’s family were there and his nurse, Esther, told him they had a special treat for him – some lemon and orange cake. Martin’s family at once said he couldn’t have cake but Esther explained this cake had been especially modified by Chef Dejan, to suit Martin’s diet. Everyone in the room was brought to tears by this wonderful gesture and after so many years, Martin was finally able to enjoy some delicious cake! He said it was the best he’d ever eaten!
Jade Shea, General Manager at the home, said: “We want everyone we care for to know how important they are to us here at Hugh Myddleton. It is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team here in making our residents’ dreams come true. It was wonderful to see how happy Martin was – and the staff loved being a part of this as well.”
