JACK BIRTHDAY BASH BAN
Italy star Mbanda has swapped the Six Nations for saving lives in his virus-torn country and insists: When you look deep into patients’ eyes they tell you things you can’t imagine... if you’ve seen what I’ve seen, you wouldn’t be queuing at supermarkets S
IN more normal times Maxime Mbanda might have been lining up against England at the Stadio Olimpico in the final round of the Six Nations Championship a week ago.
But these are far from normal times and rugby has temporarily disappeared from the radar of the Italy flanker. He is working on the front line of his country’s fight against Covid-19 as an ambulance driver (right), doing what he can to help turn the tide of death in his country.
Mbanda has no medical training but he has physical strength and resilience and he has decided to use it where it is most needed. “I started eight days ago, with shifts of 12 or 13 hours. But, faced with what I see, I tell myself that I can’t be tired,” he said. “Fear is normal. But there are little things that can be done safely that would give those on the front line a half-hour or an hour’s rest. For them, an hour is crucial.
‘‘As long as I’m strong, I’ll keep going. I’m here and I’m staying here.” Mbanda (left) – whose
JACK BUTLAND has told his family to stay away from his son George’s first birthday celebrations because of the coronavirus.
The Stoke goalkeeper and fiancee Annabel Peyton had planned a family get-together with their boy’s grandparents.
But Butland says he has told his elderly relations to stay
Congolese father is a surgeon in Milan – felt unable to stand by as Italy’s healthcare system was overwhelmed by the devastating virus. Parma, where Mbanda plays his club rugby for Zebre, is one of the worst-hit areas.
“When everything was cancelled in rugby, I wondered how I could help, even without medical expertise,” said the 27-yearold, who was part of Italy’s World Cup squad and played against England when they last visited Rome in 2018.
“I found the Yellow Cross, which had a transport service for medicine and food for the elderly.
“I found myself transferring positive patients from one local hospital to another. I help with the stretcher or if there are patients to be carried from a wheelchair. I also hold the oxygen.”
Witnessing the suffering, even of the survivors, has been a sobering, traumatic experience. “When you see the look in their eyes... even if they can’t speak, they communicate away for everyone’s safety. He has decided to self-isolate with Annabel and George and does not want to take risks.
“I’ve certainly limited contact with people I don’t need contact with,” the keeper said.
“My little man’s birthday is coming up, but we’ve tailed that back simply for the health and safety of family because you just don’t know.” with the eyes and tell you things you can’t imagine,” said Mbanda (in protective kit, below right). “They hear the alarms, the doctors and nurses running from one ward to the next. The first person I collected from the hospital told me he had been there for three hours when the neighbour in the next bed died. And during the night, two other women died in his room. He had never seen anyone die.” Earlier this year Mbanda donated his rugby kit to a refugee rugby team near Turin.
He made the observation then that: “Rugby is a sport of respect. We might be like animals on the pitch, but off the pitch we are very kind guys, we try to help people.”
His instinct in his challenging new world is to offer patients physical as well as emotional support.
“But the terrible thing is that every time you touch them, a simple caress in the ambulance to comfort them, you must immediately disinfect your hands,” he said.
Italy is a nightmare case. It
FORMER Irish Premiership star Lee Duffy has spoken of the horror of being struck down by coronavirus.
The striker, who played in Northern Ireland’s top flight with Warrenpoint Town, claims he spent eight days “hooked up to oxygen”, not knowing if he would live before eventually pulling through. He was a fit and healthy overtook China, where the outbreak began, to climb to the top of the grim international coronavirus deaths table at the weekend.
Mbanda has committed to continue the struggle until his country is through these dark times.
His warning to people in other countries, if they want to avoid a similar catastrophe, is to act on official advice over social distancing before it is too late.
“If people saw what I see in the hospitals, there would not be a queue in front of supermarkets any more,” he said.
“They would think two, three or four times before leaving home, even to go running.
“What I see are people of all ages, on respirators, on oxygen; doctors and nurses on 22-hour shifts, not sleeping one minute of the day and just trying to get some rest the next day. I wish I could say that the situation here has reached its limit. But I’m afraid I have to say that’s not the case.”
‘TAKE VIRUS SERIOUSLY’
28-year-old before contracting Covid-19 and says his shocking experience is a warning to everyone.
Duffy said on Twitter: “I spent eight days hooked up to oxygen as I could no longer breathe on my own.
‘‘Luckily, I got through it and I’m starting to feel better. My advice is not to take this lightly. It’s very serious.”
British motorcycle champion – and former grand prix driver - Mike Hailwood died in a car accident near his Birmingham home. His daughter Michelle also died in the crash.
1994: Kapil Dev played the last day of his final Test for India. He retired with a then world record 434 Test wickets, a total that was surpassed by Courtney Walsh five years later. 2002: England’s Australia-born all-rounder Ben Hollioake died aged 24 in a car crash in Perth, Australia. The Surrey star played two Tests and 20 one-day internationals for his adopted country.
2003: Australia defeated India by 125 runs to become the first team to win the Cricket World Cup three times. Skipper Ricky Ponting struck 140. 2012: West Ham submitted a bid to become tenants of the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games.
He has no medical training but he has physical strength and resilience