Hawke’s Bay man counts ‘stroke of luck’ after suffering major medical event in hospital ED

Home / Hawkes Bay TodayHawkes Bay Today20 Oct, 2026 04:14 AM4 mins to readJohn Bridge being loaded into the rescue helicopter.John Bridge being loaded into the rescue helicopter.A retired farmer says it was a “stroke of luck” that he was already in a hospital emergency department when he suffered a major stroke. A fortnight ago Havelock North retiree and local horseman John Bridge said he remembered waking up one morning to hives that had erupted in itchy AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.