Linval Ford Proves That Good Neighbours Can Be Real Life Savers

When 55 year old Trevor Cover began experiencing bloating and pain in his stomach and chest area he assumed it was due to gas. However, after four days when the… Read More

When 55 year old Trevor Cover began experiencing bloating and pain in his stomach and chest area he assumed it was due to gas. However, after four days when the discomfort had not subsided, he turned to his neighbour for some medication. The fact that this neighbour was Linval Ford probably saved his life.

“I got a call from him saying he wanted see me when I got home”, recounts Linval, a long-time medical representative with Leo Pharmaceuticals, one of the principals represented in Jamaica by Cari-Med. “On reaching home I went to the fence to alert him that I was home. He came to the fence and said ‘Gas a kill me my big brother’, and asked me for some gas medicine. I asked him how long this had been going on and he said about four days now. I asked him if he was having pain or diarrhoea, he said no diarrhoea but pain. I noticed he was not breathing properly so I asked him to step back from the fence so I could see his stomach and to show me where he was having the pain, I then noticed that his abdomen was distended.

Linval and Trevor

Linval Ford shares a joke with neighbour Trevor Cover.

Luckily, Linval was acquainted enough with the literature on cardiac failure to realize that this was no simple gas problem, so he quickly got his blood pressure monitor and headed next door. A blood pressure check revealed a reading of 180/134, with a pulse rate of 122. He persuaded his neighbour to go to hospital immediately where he was immediately admitted for 6 days while the medical team worked to stabilise his condition.

When the newsletter team visited Linval’s home recently we were joined by a beaming Mr. Cover who told us, “I can honestly say if it wasn’t for him I don’t think this meeting would have been possible today.”