Cry Before Dawn’s Brendan Wade recovering from Covid-19

THE WEXFORD NATIVE CONTRACTED THE VIRUS – ALONG WITH HIS FAMILY – IN SWITZERLAND WHERE HE NOW LIVES

FOR Cry Before Dawn singer Brendan Wade, it started with the loss of his voice after a gig. Then it was a sore throat. Then it affected his breathing and he felt so weak that he knew that something was wrong. A test followed and it returned a frightening result for the Wexford native - he was a confirmed case of Covid-19.

However, speaking from a sunny Winterthur in Switzerland, a city near Zurich where he’s called home for the past 17 years, Brendan was keen to stress that, while this is something to be taken seriously, there’s a power to positive thinking, as he’s emerging from the other side of coronavirus.

Although a small country, Switzerland has twice the population of Ireland. Sharing borders with Austria, Liechtenstein, Germany, France and Italy put it in a precarious position. The country has seen nearly 500 deaths and nearly 18,000 confirmed cases – four of which are Brendan and his family.

The virus is something that the Wexford man had been keeping an eye on for some time.

‘I kept looking at it on the news and they constantly said it could spell trouble for someone with underlying conditions,’ he said. ‘I had a heart attack around five years ago and I’ve had two stents since then. Thankfully, I’ve been in good health and there was no major lasting damage, but you kept hearing about people with underlying conditions, so I kept my ear out to hear if people in my position were surviving.’

The trouble started around three weeks ago. Busy gigging, Brendan naturally found himself in places where there are lots of people.

‘I still play music so I’d be playing in clubs and cultural places with crowds,’ he explained. ‘Just before the country went on lockdown I had a couple of gigs. On the Wednesday night I felt fine and sang fine. Then I went home on the Thursday and had absolutely no appetite, which is unusual, but I thought nothing of it. I had another gig on the Sunday and it was an early one. That night, my voice started going and I started feeling like I had a heavy cold coming on.’

‘I went to bed and in the morning, my voice was nearly completely gone. I had that dry cough that they talk about, so I decided to ring my doctor. As a result of my heart and that, they agreed to give me a test. By that stage I was feeling much worse and had real flu symptoms, and I think I’ve only had the flu once in about 40 years! I was feeling very tired all the time and was just lying around. All that stage though, I didn’t actually think I had it.’

When the phone finally rang, it was the news that Brendan had been afraid of. The doctor told him that he had tested positive for Covid-19.

‘I suppose after that I had some really dark thoughts,’ Brendan admitted. ‘Obviously you’re thinking, with an underlying condition and the symptoms you’re feeling, that this is only going one way.’

In the days after this, Brendan’s wife also began to show symptoms, followed by his 12-year-old daughter and then his 14-year-old son.

‘I definitely wasn’t calm about the kids getting it,’ he said. ‘Obviously you’re worried, but you are thinking that they’re young and healthy and they’ll be alright.’

At this stage, Brendan himself started having some difficulties with his breathing. ‘My breathing was really heavy and then I suppose you’re starting to panic a bit as well, which makes it worse. I had these mild sedatives that the doctor had given me years ago and I actually took one of them and it helped stop my head turning and making things worse. One of the more unusual symptoms we experienced was a complete loss of taste and smell. That’s a sure-fire sign.’

While he’s still not feeling one hundred percent, Brendan has been liaising with healthcare professionals and has been told that he’s out of the woods and over the worst of things. He’s feeling grateful that he didn’t feel the worst of what the virus can throw at you and that he didn’t end up in hospital as a result.

‘I suppose it’s been three weeks of it,’ he said. ‘I’m still not right. I feel like I have a heavy cold and the cough is still there. The specialists say I’ll be fine, which is a massive relief. My heart goes out to people who are battling this and who’ve passed away. It’s the worry that’s killing people too. At my darkest time, I thought this was only going one way, but thanks be to God, it hasn’t panned out that way. The funny thing about the recovery is that one day you feel fine and the next you’ll be down with it again and it really does affect your breathing.’

Brendan’s advice for anyone diagnosed with Covid-19 first and foremost is not to panic.

‘You just have to try and keep your head,’ he said. ‘You have to try to not panic. If it gets worse, don’t be afraid to make the call and go to the hospital. Thankfully it didn’t work out that way for me, but it’s important that people follow the advice they’re given.’

Thankfully, Brendan’s wife is also feeling much better. She’s due to start working from home this week and his children have both bounced back and are now doing their school-work from home too. As for Brendan, he’s now looking forward again.

As a musician, the lasting impacts of Covid-19 could be felt for some time. However, the health of his family is the most important thing for the Wexford man.

‘As a musician, all my work is gone,’ he said. ‘ That’s how I make my living. But look, we’re well again and that’s all that matters. It will be tough going forward, but at least you can do something about that. When you’re struggling with the virus, you can’t do anything.’

Initially, Brendan didn’t send word to his family back home that he had been diagnosed until he had overcome the worst of it. Now, however, he feels its important to send the message home that this thing can be beaten and to stay safe.

‘I had been texting family while it was all going on,’ he said. ‘I didn’t say anything for a while because I didn’t want to worry anyone. It’s just important that people self isolate, stay in and stay positive and hopefully we can beat this b**tard of a thing!’