NHS in Shropshire special report: Telford stroke victim mum joins health row

She believes she would not be here now if she had needed to travel to Shrewsbury to get to a hospital.

Sarah's story made the news when her quick-thinking six-year-old daughter Ava ran next door to get help after she collapsed on the floor.

Luckily, their neighbour Pam Bancroft, of Horton Lane, Telford, was home and the pair ran back to dial for emergency services.

Sarah was rushed to Telford's Princess Royal Hospital where she was given a blood-thinning drug that must be given in the first few hours after a stroke. The mother-of-two was then taken to hospital in Stoke-on-Trent, where she stayed for one night and had further tests and treatments.

Today, Sarah continues to take medication that thins the blood. She suffers from memory loss, balance issues and coordination but says it could have been much worse.

"Would it have made a difference if I had to go to Shrewsbury? I would have thought so, most definitely," she said.

"You would be talking an extra half an hour on top of the normal journey time. They say you have to take the drug within three hours of the stroke but to be in hospital within an hour.

"If I would have had to go to Shrewsbury I don't think I would have got there in time. What we are talking about here is most definitely a case of life or death."

Sarah said it would be unfair to deprive Telford or Shrewsbury of an A&E ward.

She said: "It is ridiculous what they are proposing.

It felt like it was taking forever just to get from Leegomery to Telford and the Princess Royal, so god knows how bad it would feel if we had to go to Shrewsbury."