A dad who became the "sickest patient a hospital had ever seen" after he was diagnosed with coronavirus has opened up on how he beat the disease.
Michael Ellison defied the odds to recover from Covid-19 despite his family being told to prepare for the worst, the Liverpool Echo reports.
The father-of-six even had a 'Do Not Resuscitate' sign placed on his bed at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, where he spent seven weeks battling the virus.
But his wife and daughter received phone calls to inform them the former builder would not pull through the night.
Mr Ellison's situation was complicated by the fact that in March he'd gone into remission from leukaemia , and his symptoms weren't the typical signs associated with catching coronavirus.
Results from a scan revealed the 66-year-old was suffering from a twisted bowel at the same time as battling the virus.
It meant an immediate operation, with just a 50% survival rate, and warnings that without the surgery Mr Ellison could die the following day.
Now, five months after he left hospital, where he spent seven weeks, he has spoken of his ordeal and how he is looking forward to the future.
He is hoping to undergo more surgery within the next fortnight to remove his stoma which is connected through his abdomen and allows waste to be diverted out of the body.
Mr Ellison, described by experts as a "walking miracle," told the ECHO: "It's been a real roller-coaster ride.
"It's been emotional, definitely, I broke down crying earlier this week.
"When in the Royal, I saw people dying around me, they would put a curtain around them and that was that.
"Just the idea that they put a 'Do Not Resuscitate' on my bed, when I'm only 65, is hard to get my head around.
"I only half remember going into surgery for my twisted bowel operation, I was really delirious, I remember being on the trolley.
"I do keep getting flashbacks and memories, and still get some terrible nightmares about dying.
"I'm either made of strong stuff or I've been very lucky to pull through.
"The care I had at the Royal Liverpool was excellent."
Mr Ellison lost up to three stone and is now hoping to put the weight back on, and although he has not ventured out his house much since returning home from hospital in May, a physio has now given him daily exercises to help rebuild his strength.
The builder had to quit his job after getting leukaemia which he battled for two-and-a-half years before getting the all-clear six weeks before he contracted Covid-19.
The chemotherapy meant Mr Ellison had to stop working.
It was difficult for Mr Ellison's family to initially assess what he was suffering from as his symptoms included sickness, diarrhoea and bad headaches.
But one night when Michael, who had developed a temperature followed by a bad cough at this point, was struggling to stand up in the bathroom, his wife Susan, 66, phoned an ambulance.
He was rushed to A&E at the Royal Liverpool Hospital and hours later Susan and daughter Rachel got a call to say Michael was in a critical condition.
He added: "My wife and daughter have been very strong for me.
"They had phone call saying I wasn't expected to last the night, but I did and fought my way back."
