A 98-year-old great-grandad of 10 has recovered from coronavirus and is now back at home - even though doctors thought he would not survive.
Second World War hero Jack Bowden, from Bolton, was diagnosed with Covid-19 two weeks ago after being admitted to Royal Bolton Hospital.
The Bowden family was shocked as the beloved dad-of-four had not been showing any typical flu symptoms and was instead taken to hospital with a suspected water infection, reports Manchester Evening News.
After responding to treatment quickly, doctors believed Mr Bowden was getting better and released him back to his care home in Ivy Bank Road on March 20 to remain in isolation taking his prescribed medication.
However, five days later Mr Bowden was unable to breathe and was admitted to the Royal Bolton Hospital again.
NHS staff told his family that he would not survive the night.
Mr Bowden's youngest child, Mark, said: "The chest infection that he had left hospital with deteriorated over the weekend.
"By Wednesday (March 25) he could not breathe. It was scary.
"When I rang the ward, the administrator told me 'the state your father is in, he is not going to survive the night.'"
Mr Bowden is a former pharmacist and helped to create penicillin for the Second World War effort at the Royal Navy Medical School in Clevedon.
Mark said: "We were feeling so many emotions. He was absolutely floored with it, it took his breathing away.
"I went to bed that night thinking 'if he dies, if he leaves us tonight, he has gone out in a blaze of glory - what an amazing story he has told.
"But my brother told me he could not sleep because he was thinking about wills and which solicitors to use."
Miraculously, Mr Bowden made it through the night.
Mark told the Manchester Evening News : "By noon, we had spoken to the consultants who said my dad had pulled through.
"He was put on IV antibiotics and the doctor told me he was treating my dad for coronavirus.
"I just told the doctors to try whatever they needed to."
Over a week later , doctors determined that the recovery had been successful.
Yesterday morning, Mr Bowden was taken back to his care home with a course of oral antibiotics.
Mark said: "He was discharged this morning, he is just missing his bottom set of teeth and he has left one of his hearing aids at the hospital.
"He is whinging about that, but it's a small price to pay, I will get them back.
"Now he is sat back in his favourite chair, watching TV like he normally does and he is fully recovered.
"Staff at the home are saying it is the Jack Bowden they all remember."
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