Amazing recovery for granddad who was paralysed by rare illness
Veteran firefighter tells of his trauma after battling to walk again when he was struck down during a dream holiday
A GRANDFATHER who fell ill while on a dream holiday in Barbados has told of his ‘trauma’ after developing a rare nerve condition that left him paralysed.
Veteran firefighter Mark Jones was struck down with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) after being diagnosed with pneumonia while in the tropical paradise with his wife, Pat.
In a double blow, the 59-yearold also developed a stomach upset and was rushed into the respiratory ward of Cosham’s Queen Alexandra Hospital after flying home in February.
Doctors believe the antibodies he produced to fight the illnesses caused his body to react badly – and Mark, of Downend Road, Portchester, then developed the deadly nerve disease days later.
He became completely paralysed ‘overnight’, spending weeks on a ventilator and months recovering in hospital - at the peak of the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak earlier this year.
Now, almost a year on, the grandfather of four is still struggling to recover, with his body weakened and ‘ravaged’ by the illness.
Speaking out for the first time, Mark said: ‘It was absolutely terrifying. Even now, 10 months on, I still get quite scared about it. I get panic attacks and have anxiety - I’ve been diagnosed with a traumatic stress disorder from my time in the ICU.
‘I was completely reliant on other people for everything, to feed me, to help me breathe; I was unable to talk, the only way I could someone anyone was by making a clicking noise with my mouth. It was really frightening. I was just completely useless.’
Mark first noticed he was feeling unwell just a couple of days into his holiday.
Medics at a treatment centre on the island then diagnosed him with pneumonia - although doctors have since said Mark could have contracted Covid-19.
His condition continued to worsen during the course of his trip abroad and as soon as he flew home, he was rushed into hospital, struggling to breathe.
Then, two days after arriving at QA, doctors broke the news to Mark that he had GBS.
‘When I was diagnosed I was completely unaware what it actually meant,’ he added. ‘Somebody comes in and says you’ve got this foreign-sounding virus and you’re going to get so ill you can’t move and that over the space of two years you’ll start getting better - it’s horrific.’
GBS usually occurs when antibodies produced by the immune system to fight an infection also start attacking the nervous system.
Although it only affects one in every 40,000 people, sufferers normally lose mobility and spend months in rehabilitation relearning to use their limbs.
Worried wife Pat said: ‘I became like a scientist and started reading up about it.
‘I knew exactly what was about to happen to him next and that he was going to get worse over the next few weeks. It was tough.’
Mark spent two months in intensive care, totally paralysed for weeks, and a further two months
The retired firefighter, who served as a crew manager across Portsmouth for 30 years, has recovered about ‘75 per cent’ of his mobility.
But he is still left physically exhausted by the most simple of tasks like getting dressed or ‘ walking 20 yards’, with doctors saying it may take two or more years until he is fully recovered.
‘This virus has ravaged me, it’s unrelenting.’ he said. ’My physical ability right now is somewhere between a three and five-year-old’s. I have got two grandchildren at this age.
‘They beat me at arm wrestling because my arms are so weak.’
Mark has since praised the work of QA medics, with his Pat adding: ‘ They were absolutely amazing. They all deserve a big pay rise.’
Mark, who is currently employed by Hampshire County Council’s library service, hopes to be back to fighting fitness in the next 18 months.