A husband and wife who work for the NHS were left fighting for their lives on the same intensive care unit after contracting coronavirus.
At one point, doctors told distraught Rommell Ryan Longid, 46, that his critically ill wife Maria, 46, might die unless she was put on life support.
While she was heavily sedated and hooked up to a ventilator, Mr Longid held his wife's hand and told her that he loved her and to keep fighting.
At that time, friends were caring for the couple's son Gabe, 15, and raising money to support the family amid fears that one or both of his parents could die.
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Mr Longid, from Haywards Heath, West Sussex, spent about 10 days in hospital until he was well enough to go home and continue his recovery there.
Mrs Longid, known as Irene, has been hospitalised since April 1 and is now "having more good days than bad" in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the Princess Royal Hospital.
Mr Longid told Mirror Online: "The doctors told me she was really unwell and they even said to me 'she might die tonight' if we won't be able to put her on [life support].
"I was really crying when they were telling me that."
He added: "A consultant told me that of all the patients that he was looking after she was the sickest among them.
"She is having more good days than bad now, hopefully she is on the track.
"They said we really have to take it slow with her and we have to reassess her every day because this is a new disease, and let her body heal."
Originally from the Philippines and living in the UK for almost 20 years, the couple had been working on the frontline of the Covid-19 crisis.
Mrs Longid is a junior sister in a respiratory ward at the Princess Royal and her husband is a healthcare assistant in the operating theatre.
Mrs Longid developed a headache at work on March 26 and was sent to the A&E, where she was swabbed for coronavirus - the result later came back positive - and sent home.
As the family self-isolated, Mrs Longid's condition worsened and on the night of March 31 she started suffering shortness of breath and was coughing most of the night.
The following day, Mr Longid called 999 and she was taken by ambulance to hospital and admitted to intensive care because her oxygen levels were too low.
She was intubated on April 2 and her condition rapidly deteriorated to the point where doctors were fearing the worst.
She was put on life support and transferred to St Thomas' Hospital in central London on April 4, where staff fought to keep her alive alongside other coronavirus patients including Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
With doctors concerned about her organs, Mrs Longid, who has diabetes, was put on hemofiltration, a form of renal dialysis which removes waste products from the blood.
After being on life support for 10 days, her condition improved enough for her to be sent back to the Princess Royal.
By then, however, her husband had come down with Covid-19 symptoms and been admitted to the ICU there.
Mr Longid said he developed a headache on April 11 and then two days later suffered breathing problems while he was walking up and down the stairs at home.
A friend and colleague called the A&E department and told staff that she was bringing him in.
His oxygen levels were low, his temperature was above 39C and he was taken to the ICU while awaiting a test that came back positive.
Mr Longid's situation wasn't as grave as his wife's because he was admitted before his condition deteriorated.
He said: "We were in the same ward together, just doors away from each other. I was on 1 and she was on 4.
"When she came back [to the Princess Royal] I was past my worst part, so I was slowly getting better."
Mr Longid visited her three times while they were on the same ICU and he was devastated to see her on a ventilator and hooked up to machines.
She had undergone a tracheostomy, where an opening was created at the front of her neck so a tube could be inserted into her windpipe to help her breathe.
Her husband said: "It was mixed emotions because I wanted to see her and touch her hand and talk to her even though she couldn’t talk back to me.
"Looking at her with loads of lines everywhere, on her neck and through her nose, was really upsetting.
"She was stable most of the time but she had bad days."
Even though they were both infected, he had to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) while comforting her.
He added: "They don’t want cross infection. I was holding her with gloves on, I was wearing a mask.
"I was telling her how much I love her and telling her to get well.
"She was sedated, so unconscious really. I was really hoping she could hear me."
Mr Longid was conscious the entire time he was in ICU and didn't require a ventilator.
As he continues his recovery at home with his son, he has hailed the NHS staff who cared for him and especially his wife.
He said: "They said there was a big chance she could die, and looking at her now the improvement... the care that was given to her was really amazing.
"I’m really pleased with how they are looking after her. Slowly but surely she is getting better."
Mr Longid, who met his wife in the UK after moving from the Philippines in 2003, thanked those who rallied round the couple and took care of their son.
He added: "We’ve got good friends. All of the support from the community - friends, workmates - it has been really, really overwhelming.
"Everyone was so good to us when we got into that situation. I can't thank them enough."
When Mr and Mrs Longid were both in intensive care and their son faced uncertainty, a friend and colleague launched a GoFundMe page to ease any financial worries and support the family, who do not have relatives in Britain.
It has raised more than £16,000.
