A dad dubbed 'miracle man' by his daughter has been able to see his family face-to-face for the first time in months - albeit from a safe distance.
Brian Harvey has been battling the virus at Bristol Royal Infirmary since his admission on March 28, and is now recovering on a general ward after almost dying in intensive care.
His daughter Faye Stapleton visited the hospital on Tuesday, May 19, to drop off 10 Samsung tablets, which she raised money for to help families video call intensive care patients.
Staff wheeled her 69-year-old dad outside as they received the donation, and she was able to speak to him from a safe distance with her brother and mum Mary.
Mrs Stapleton, who lives near her parents in Headley Park, said: "Throughout all this, all I've wanted to do was to make him proud. I never thought he'd be able to tell me that himself.
"He FaceTimed me on Monday and I was just bawling my eyes out - he said 'I'm so proud of you' and I really never thought I'd get to hear him say that.
"He's the longest COVID patient they've had on the ICU (intensive care unit) so he's a bit of a miracle man."
The mum-of-two, 32, said her dad's recovery had been nothing short of "amazing".
He spent several weeks in an induced coma but is now talking again and starting to re-learn how to walk.
Mrs Stapleton said the reunion was emotional even though they were not able to make any contact with him, particularly as at one point they did not think he would survive.
She said: "We had some horrendous phone calls from the ICU - in particular when his kidneys had completely failed and they didn't think he would make it through the night.
"It was my daughter Tallulah's ninth birthday the next day - her and my dad are super close - and she just wanted a cake so she could make a wish and make him better.
"We are so grateful to all the staff, they never gave up even though he didn't respond for over a week."
Becky Russell, ICU sister at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, said staff were grateful to the family for funding the tablets.
She said: "Mr Harvey was desperately unwell with the COVID-19 infection, spending over five weeks in our care - making him one of our longest staying patients on ICU with the virus.
“It’s a real boost for the team when patients are well enough to be discharged to the wards, and later sent home.
“During Mr Harvey’s stay, visiting restrictions meant his family couldn’t be with him at what has been a very stressful and emotional time.
“We’d like to wish Mr Harvey all the best with his ongoing recovery, and hope he will be home soon.”
