A coronavirus patient woke up from a month-long coma to find out his mother had died from the disease.
Sohail Anjum, from London, also discovered he would have to learn how to walk, speak and taste again when he woke up, reports the National.
The 47-year-old was in an induced coma for 25 days, with doctors giving him a 50/50 chance of survival.
Mr Anjum fell sick in early March when he came down with a headache, high temperature and a cough.
He battled the symptoms for more than a week before going to the hospital, where he was placed in a coma.
When he woke up he said no one wanted to tell him about his mother's death because of his own ordeal.
He said : "I don't know how to explain it but I just had this vision that my mother was no more. That really really hit me hard. I'm still trying to grieve."
Mr Anjum believes he caught the virus on the tube while commuting to work.
He initially tried to get tested in mid-March after reading a tweet by actor Idris Elba, who also contracted the disease.
However, he claims a doctor sent him home with paracetamol, telling him he likely had a viral nasal infection.
As his health deteriorated he rang the NHS hotline and waited for two hours before he was told he likely had the flu and was once again urged to take paracetemol.
His doctor recommended he visit the hospital if his symptoms persisted for a few more days, however Mr Anjum decided to go immediately.
He was admitted and placed on a ventilator, before being informed his life was 'touch and go'.
Mr Anjum said: "A doctor came and said 'we need to put you into an induced sleep'. I was so ill at the time I just said 'do what you have to do'."
His 81-year-old mum died with coronavirus 10 days after he was admitted to hospital.
Mr Anjum's brother was able to visit her on the day she died and found her praying for her ill son.
He believes his mother's prayers are the reason he survived.
The ex-Dubai resident, who calls himself 'Gandalf the Grey' because of his new grey beard, is recovering at Croydon University Hospital.
Mr Anjum hopes to leave the hospital in two weeks after further physiotherapy, with a six-month rehabilitation period ahead of him.
"At the moment my hands tremble when I type. A glass of water is too heavy. But I'll get better," Mr Anjum said.
He urged everyone to to take the virus seriously, warning that it is far more lethal than the flu.
