An ex-soldier spoke of his 'eternal gratitude' as he gifted an ICU nurse his military medal to say thank you for saving his life.
Graham Smith was a patient in the Royal Liverpool Hospital early last year when he was suffering with the effects of coronavirus.
ICU nurse Scott Beeland was one of the nurses on duty whose "exceptional care" saved Graham's life.
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Nearly a year on from his battle, ex-soldier Graham and his wife Susan were once again reunited with Scott.
In an emotional video posted on the Liverpool Express website, Graham tells Scott: "I'd get up and give you a hug and a kiss but I'm not allowed to."
Graham then presents Scott with his soldier's medal, framed alongside a touching, handwritten note thanking Graham and the rest of the staff that treated him.
The note read: "This medal was awarded to me for my services in the armed forces. I would now like to dedicate it to all the brave, hardworking NHS staff who continue to go above and beyond their duty of care.
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"My family and I cannot thank you enough for looking after me in my time of need.
"I have no doubt that your courage, dedication and exceptional care saved my life, as it will others, and for this I will be eternally grateful. Stay safe and keep fighting, love Graham and family xx".
In the video, Graham explains why he wanted to give his medal which he earned for his service in Bosnia to Scott and the rest of the staff at the Royal Liverpool Hospital.
He said: "He was the one who took me into the ICU and worked on me for a couple of days. I recognised him straight away even though he was wearing a mask.
Adding: "It was just something from myself to say thank you. They're the bravest you can be in there. Getting up, doing the hours, going above and beyond every single day.
"It was just something to gee the up a bit and say keep up the fight, keep up the good work, and thank you."
Humbled by his former patient's touching gesture, Scott said: "To see somebody like Graham and his family now is amazing because it just adds a real human connection to it. To actually see what a difference the work that we've done has made to them."
