"You don't expect it to happen in St Heliers on a Sunday afternoon do you?"
Mrs Boydall said it would be a slow recovery for her husband who usually kept "very fit" and could be weeks before he returned home.
"His attitude is quite remarkable, a lot of people would be so bitter they would be groaning the whole time but all he wants to do is get up and go again."
Mrs Boydall was already in hospital herself at the time of the incident, meaning the two wound up spending their anniversary there together on July 2.
Due to the circumstances they were not able to properly celebrate but she was wheeled to her husband's bedside.
"It's all gone so quickly, I think we are still remembering July 2nd in 1979 [their wedding day]."
Josephine Boydall holding a picture of herself with her husband Timothy. Photo / Michael Craig
Mrs Boydall said she and her husband were grateful for all the support they received following the attack.
The bystanders who rushed to his aid were marvellous, she said.
Ambulance officers had even gone to the Boydall home to make sure the heater was switched off, she said.
One of those officers was St John Paramedic George Tyrell.
"The patient had expressed concern to us that the heater was left on at home while everyone was out," Tyrell said.
They wanted to give him some peace of mind and because time allowed they went to his house to switch off the heater and ensure the house was locked and secure, he said.
"It's not written in the handbook but we do this for patients out of goodwill and to reassure them however we can," he said.
