Phil Hammond fights for a victory of his own

It’s three years since Phil Hammond has been able to attend the annual memorial service for the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster – the service he spoke at and the service he organised.

But this Friday, as he continues his long and determined recovery after stunning doctors by surviving a brain haemorrhage, Phil, who is currently in a wheelchair, will again be at Anfield.

Once more, he will be able to pay his respects to his 14-year-old son, Philip junior, and all the other Liverpool fans who went to a football match but never came home.

And while 10,000 others will be doing the same thing, they will also demonstrate their love and respect for the former chairman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group - and give thanks he is back where he belongs.

Though 62-year-old Phil, typically underestimating his popularity, tells me at his Aigburth home: "I always say to my wife, Hilda, 'Will people remember me?' "

He'll soon get his answer, but it really isn't in doubt. With respect to the Liverpool players and manager, Phil Hammond will be the Kop's biggest hero this Friday.

Phil will be there alongside Hilda, their other son, Graeme, 32, Graeme's fiancee, Nickie Buffel, 29, and Phil's brother, Brian, and his wife, Joan.

"It feels like years and years since I was last at a memorial service," says Phil.

"Normally, I'd be organising things. I've never sat with my family before and that will feel strange, but I'm so glad to be going with them.

"It's going to be emotional."

Phil last attended a service in 2008. A few days after Christmas that year, he fell seriously ill. A scan at the Royal Liverpool Hospital confirmed a brain haemorrhage and he was transferred to the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery, of which Hilda - who retired last August to care for Phil at home - was critical care unit matron.

He underwent an operation to remove a clot on the brain on December 29 but it came back two days later and he was taken back to theatre. In the early hours, Phil was only given a 20 per cent chance of survival and then, on New Year's Day morning, the doctors said his chances were 0 per cent.

But this was Phil Hammond - and he battled back from the brink.

He spent six days short of a year in the Walton Centre, yet he was still able to have an impact on the 20th anniversary service.

Hilda asked the ECHO to tell readers Phil would want as many people as possible to be there - more than the record-breaking 14,000 who attended the 10th anniversary service.

Nearly 30,000 turned up - such huge numbers that, from last year, it was felt necessary, for health and safety reasons, to make it a limited, all-ticket event.

Phil had hoped to return last year, but was diagnosed with shingles days before the service.

He says: "There are so many people I want to see and say 'Thank you' to - including people from the group and from the Red All Over The Land website."

While concentrating on his recovery, Phil has been following our coverage of the Hillsborough panel set up to study previously unreleased documents.

He says: "I've always said at the services that something will come up one day. Someone will pick the phone up and say 'We've found this'. Hopefully, the panel will find something.

"It is made up of good, experienced people, but I am amazed that Ann Adlington, the solicitor who knows everything there is to know about Hillsborough, isn't part of it. Her experience and knowledge could have been invaluable."

As ever, it is clear Phil is determined to take up his own campaigning role again.

"I am frustrated not to be involved on a day to day basis," he says. "But, sadly, I can't see myself getting involved in the near future. My next goal is to be able to walk again, so I can walk Nickie down the aisle."

Son Graeme got engaged to Nickie on Christmas Day, 2008, just days before his dad fell desperately ill - and Nickie later asked her future father-in-law to give her away.

Phil is no stranger to fighting personal health battles - he needed an artificial right leg fitted after a work accident when he was 21 and underwent a five-way heart bypass in 1998, but this has been his biggest fight and one both Phil and Hilda are determined he'll win.

Phil's community physiotherapy sessions ended before Christmas and Hilda, who is funding his ongoing treatment, says: " I know how much it costs to have a patient in intensive care. Phil was in there for two months and that must have cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.

"And yet while all that money can be spent on people with head injuries, patients can't reach their full potential if physio isn't available in the community for as long as they need it.

"We had community physio once a week and, now that it has stopped, I'm fortunate enough to be able to pay for private physio four times a week. But I'm paying out of my pension lump sum having worked for the NHS for 44 years. I don't mind - I would sell the house if I had to."

Regarding Phil the patient, she says: "Some people have to be persuaded to do physio but Phil would do all that hard work all day long if he could. His determination is invaluable.

"He's in a wheelchair at the moment but he has a lot of potential to improve in his recovery. He's not going to walk the length and breadth of Allerton Road, but the physio will be worth every penny if he is just able to get a little more movement and do a little more for himself."

Hilda adds: "Graeme and Nickie's wedding is in June, but I don't know what the chances are of Phil being able to walk Nickie down the aisle. As well as building up his strength, he also needs to be fitted with a new artificial leg.

"It's been a goal but if it doesn't happen then so be it. Phil, though, will walk eventually. And he will still give Nickie away, whatever happens."

Of course he will - because his name is Phil Hammond.

Source: Liverpool Echo

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