Cambridge music director is beaten up by a stranger

Graham Ross, Director of Music at Clare College, has been hospitalised for almost a fortnight after an assault in the centre of the town.

He writes:

Two weeks ago, at the end of a wonderful evening with 100 of my Clare Choir alumni, I was assaulted in central Cambridge by a complete stranger who then ran off. After lying incapacitated for 90 minutes I was taken to A&E where scans confirmed that my left femur had been shattered into multiple pieces. Later that day it took four orthopaedic surgeons six hours in theatre to rebuild my leg, during which apparently I lost 3 litres of blood and subsequently needed multiple transfusions and ongoing blood thinners. After 12 days in Addenbrookes Critical Care and Recovery I was finally discharged last night to recuperate at home and learn how to walk again.

I’ve truly never experienced pain like it, in every sense, but the whole experience has been made immeasurably more manageable thanks to friends, family, & absolutely every single NHS trauma surgeon, consultant, doctor, nurse, health care assistant, occupational therapist, physio, radiographer, caterer, porter, & member of staff at Addenbrookes whose dedication towards me & every other human being in their care was nothing short of incredible. I’m especially grateful to my former students Chris & Peter who witnessed the whole miserable event and stayed with me throughout that first excruciating night; to Tim Brown for taking over all my Clare conducting work at zero notice; to many wonderful work colleagues for rearranging hundreds of logistics to allow me to focus on recovery; and to understanding promotors & organisations I’ve had to let down when forced to cancel all my freelance work for now.

The greatest catalyst for any recovery is love, and in Richard I am so fortunate to have an incredible husband who was with me every single day in hospital whilst juggling all other life/work commitments. Ward D8 was not quite the place we had planned to celebrate our 6th Wedding Anniversary, but In Sickness and In Health and all that. Despite everything, I’m incredibly lucky.

Police investigations are ongoing. For now, I’m very much continuing to take one day at a time, grateful for every milestone, however tiny, and looking forward to being fully me again as soon as my body allows. X

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