Real people just like my brother are suffering now
THE last seven days have been a nightmare for our family after the Covid- 19 bogeyman came knocking on our door.
One of my younger brothers Padraig got it and he has been to hell and back fighting this horrible virus.
He has let me tell you his story. A lifelong asthma sufferer, he is in the vulnerable group.
Every winter he gets the f lu vaccine and also takes steroids for his condition.
He is prone to picking up chest infections and colds.
But h e a l s o t r i e s t o get away t o t he sun i n November, December and January for a few days here and t h ere as t h e warm weather reduces his risk of illness.
Padraig is 50 and, asthma aside, is as fit as they come.
A very successful businessman, he is managing director of Anglo Printers in Drogheda, a former president of the town’s Chamber of Commerce and the man credited with bringing the Fleadh to his home town. He has run four marathons – London and Dublin twice – is in the gym regularly and runs or walks every other day.
In fact, he would hardly have an ounce of fat on him and doesn’t smoke.
He constantly lectures me for being overweight and actually nagged me into giving up fags exactly a year ago because he didn’t want me “dying young”. We are extremely close, he is like my best friend and we holiday and socialise together.
Cov i d s t r u c k h i m days ago.
Within hours he was in pain from head to toe, he had a f e ver and l ost al l energy.
He said it was as if he had been hit by a ton of bricks. He found it difficult to sleep.
And the most frightening bit is when he started struggling with his breathing.
He would eventually fall asleep and then wake up in the middle of the night and really find it hard to breathe for two hours or so and this went on for days.
During that time he also lost an astonishing stone and a half in weight.
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By last Friday he hit rock bottom and was rushed to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.
What happened next was nothing short of a miracle.
The medical team put him on oxygen, i ncreased the steroids, got his blood oxygen way up and within two days we saw rapid improvement.
He is not totally out of the woods yet but he is slowly on the mend.
Our family can’t thank staff enough. Th e y d o n’ t b l i nk putting their lives on the line day in, day out.
We are blessed to have such a great institution like the Lourdes on our doorstep and sometimes we take it for granted.
My 80- year- old dad Johnny died in the hospital early last June.
Padraig, by total coincidence, was given the same room that my father had as he battled for his life. I have no doubt my late father kept an eye on his cub.
To be honest, it has been a worrying and frightening time for our family.
You hate to see one of your loved ones suffer and you would not wish this virus on your worst enemy.
The problem is no one really knows how their immune system will react until they get Covid. S o t h e message t o e v e r y o n e i s s i mpl e – t h o s e h o s p i t a l numbers you hear on t he t el e v i si on f rom NPHET are real people.
Fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters l i k e o u r Pa d r a i g , they are real people all fighting for their lives. This virus attacks the l ungs l i ke a demon , i t i s shocking and insane.
On Sunday, Ireland had the highest Covid rate in the whole world.
Say a prayer for my little brother and everyone else who is sick.
You don’t need me to tell you what to do, just mind yourselves and stay safe.
Covid struck him & within hours he was in pain from head to toe