Paul’s tribute to life-saving NHS staff
A FATHER-OF-FOUR from Halifax has thanked the NHS staff who saved his life after being in a coma with coronavirus for three weeks.
Paul Regan, 51, who lives in Hipperholme with his girlfriend Debra Nutbrown, is now been back home recovbering after being given a 5050 chance of surviving the virus by doctors.
He has praised the staff at Calderdale Royal Hospital, where he was treated, and says he feels lucky to be alive.
“The first symptoms were in the middle of March, I had a bit of a cough and a headache, but it went away so I didn’t think much of it,” he said.
“The week after the same thing happened, and the third week it became more serious. I was at work and I started feeling really tired, I struggled to get out of my chair when I finished on the Thursday, March 26.
“Then on the Friday morning I was sweating when I was driving to work, by the time I got there I was wet through, and my manager told me to self-isolate.
“I got worse over that weekend, and I phoned 111 on the Sunday and was given some antibiotics, but within an hour of taking them I was violently sick.
“I gradually got worse and eventually phoned 999 on Monday, March 30 and went into hospital because my oxygen levels were so low and my temperature was so high. I don’t remember much after that but I was in the medical assessment unit (MAU) for two days and then it was decided, because I was getting worse and my oxygen levels weren’t picking up, to put me into ICU and into a coma on April 2.”
Paul was taken out of the coma three weeks later, during which time he had his 51st birthday.
“It was longer than they were expecting me to be in but for three weeks my condition didn’t improve. Before they put me under they told me it was a 50-50 situation, you either improve and wake up or you die.
“I feel like one of the lucky ones because some people in ICU didn’t make it while I was there. I am very grateful that I’m still here. The staff at the hospital were absolutely fantastic, every single one of them.
“I can’t thank them enough because they’re the ones who have kept me alive. Always friendly, always happy, always trying to cheer you up. I can’t speak highly enough of them, they’re worth their weight in gold.”
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