The ‘strong, fit’ dad with ‘zero chance of survival’
TWO weeks ago, Sue Martin watched as her ‘strong, fit and healthy’ husband walked towards his ambulance.
Mal Martin had been struggling with the symptoms of coronavirus for ten days and his wife decided to call for help after his breathing became ‘very rapid’.
Looking back, mother-of-two Mrs Martin, 49, says: ‘i wish now that we had been able to give him a hug.’
Just two hours after the 999 call, Mr Martin was placed on a ventilator at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, South Wales. Eleven days on, the 58-yearold remains in hospital and consultants have told his wife of 23 years that he has almost ‘zero chance of survival’.
in an emotional interview, Mrs Martin bravely revealed the devastating impact the virus has had on her family. She told
BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that her husband had struggled with a cough for a week.
Unable to get through to the 111 helpline, Mrs Martin called their local GP and was told how to monitor Mr Martin’s vital statistics. When his breathing became ‘very rapid’ in the early hours of March 29, Mrs Martin called an ambulance.
Within an hour of arriving at hospital, Mr Martin was told he needed to be taken straight to intensive care and placed on a ventilator. Mrs Martin said: ‘They told me then that he was very, very sick and they weren’t sure he was going to come through it. it was very sudden. i really thought that a couple of days on oxygen and he’d be back home with us.’
Before he was put on a ventilator, Mr Martin spoke to his wife, daughter Hana, 16, and son William, 13, on the phone.
Last Sunday, the family were given ten minutes ‘to say goodbyes’, dressed in full protective gear, and told not to touch Mr Martin. His wife said: ‘We told him that we loved him and it was heart-breaking to hear the children tell him that they were going to make him proud.’