Critically acclaimed Indian musician donates artwork to The Walton Centre after mother’s life-saving surgery

Amrit Ramnath, known for his highly successful Indian musical career, has donated a piece of artwork to The Walton Centre after his mother, Indian national treasure Jayashri Ramnath, was treated here for a bleed on the brain last year.

In March 2023, the famed Indian classical singer known as Bombay Jayashri was found unconscious in her hotel room in Liverpool while on tour, and rushed to The Walton Centre with a ruptured aneurysm and grade five subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). After a lifesaving six hour operation where the aneurysm was clipped and blood clot removed, Mrs Ramnath stayed in the hospital’s Horsley Intensive Therapy Unit to recover, with her son Amrit by her side.

An SAH is due to a leakage of blood from a blood vessel beneath the arachnoid membrane that covers the brain. It occurs suddenly, usually without warning and can often have catastrophic consequences.

Amrit said: “While she was in a coma, I would sing to her so that she knew someone who loved her was there. When she woke up weeks later, she says she could hear everything! I have a strong connection with her, she is my mother, but also my guide, and our love language is music. I wrote and recorded songs while she was recovering, right there at her bedside, and it’s influenced several songs that I’m releasing soon.

“I remember the day vividly. I was calling her to tell her the news that I’d been asked to compose music for a film in India, but I couldn’t reach her. It turned out that she was already unconscious and being rushed to hospital.

“It was such a stressful and extraordinary time, and they told me to prepare for the worst, as the bleed had been particularly severe. But she was fiercely determined to recover – and she did. I’m so glad she was looked after so well by staff at The Walton Centre. Without their dedication, I dread to think what the outcome would’ve been.”

The songs on Amrit Ramnath’s upcoming EP, called 100,000 Dreams releasing on Friday 23 August 2024, stem from this experience.

Mrs Ramnath went on to make a remarkable recovery, and was able to travel home to recover fully six weeks after her initial operation at The Walton Centre.

Mr Jawad Yousaf, a Consultant Neurosurgeon specialising in skull base and vascular neurosurgery at The Walton Centre, carried out the operation. He said: “Timely treatment for aneurysms and subsequent subarachnoid haemorrhages is crucial in order to give someone the best chance of not only surviving, but surviving well. I am pleased to see patients such as Mrs Ramnath making a fantastic recovery despite the odds.”

Amrit returned to visit the Trust this week to present a piece of artwork to staff, to say thank you for the care they gave to his mother.

Amrit continued: “The artwork describes the view I had while staying in the hospital’s charity-funded relatives’ accommodation, with a few lines from a poem my mother wrote whilst she was recovering in hospital. It’s a token of our love and appreciation for what they did to save my mother. It was fantastic to meet staff at The Walton Centre again and thank them in person.”

The artwork will feature on the wall of the hospital’s courtyard, which also houses other artwork such as the Walton Willow, which marks organ donors at the Trust, and an NHS heart donated during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr Anita Krishnan, Consultant Neurologist and Divisional Clinical Director, helped arrange the return visit. She said: “On behalf of The Walton Centre, thank you to both Amrit and Bombay Jayashri for this generous donation of such beautiful artwork. Expressions of gratitude from patients and families is the ultimate accolade for our staff members. This poignant and heartfelt gift will surely hold a special place in our hearts.”

You can listen to his single Kanavugal Kanden from the EP 100,000 Dreams now on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/59xujCFu5zbw5FyjVLlsy8?si=edcfb488ce6240d0

 

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Notes to editors

Further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact the Communications Team at The Walton Centre on 0151 556 3397 or wcft.communications@nhs.net

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust is the only hospital trust in the UK specialising in neurology, neurosurgery and pain services. Although the majority of patients come from Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, Lancashire and the Isle of Man, for some specialist treatments of complex disorders we see patients from all parts of the country, referred by their GPs or other neurologists, neurosurgeons and pain clinicians.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust was rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. The independent regulator of all health and social care services in England published its rating on Friday 21 October 2016, following announced and unannounced inspection visits to the Trust in April 2016.

For more information please visit: www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk or follow the Trust on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Lower Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool L9 7LJ
0151 525 3611