A coronavirus patient who has returned home after a 100-day battle and weeks in an induced coma with just 10 per cent chance of survival has expressed his sincerere gratitude to the NHS staff who saved his life.
Paul Hodgskin, 64, went into hospital at the end of March and at his lowest point the odds were truly stacked against him.
He was finally discharged on Saturday after the lengthy stay and allowed home to Shifnal, near Telford in Shropshire.
“I’m just so thankful,” he said. “Very thankful for the efforts that were put into me and I’ve come out the other side.
“From what I can make out, there aren’t many that spend so long in ICU and come out the other side.”
Mr Hodgskin and his partner, Sue Dhingra, both began feeling poorly towards the end of March this year.
But while Ms Dhingra suffered no serious complications with the virus, Mr Hodgskin was taken to hospital on March 31 after being found in a “delirious” state by his partner, having vomited.
Within a day he was on a ventilator and was soon put into an induced coma, but Mr Hodgskin, who is originally from Zimbabwe, had no sense of the severity of the situation when he first got to hospital.
“When I first went into A&E, I told everyone there that I wanted to go home,” said Mr Hodgskin, who had no underlying health conditions he was aware of.
“When I first got into ICU, they put a full face mask on me and I thought that was funny and I took a selfie.
“The next thing that’s on my phone is ‘they are going to put me into an induced coma’ and the next entry after that was about six weeks later.”
After 59 days in intensive care, he remained in hospital for weeks as doctors treated organ failure, restored his speech after he received a tracheotomy and began his rehabilitation.
Now he quickly gets short of breath and is having to relearn to walk, while he also has nerve damage in one arm which is expected to clear up within a year.
He currently has visits from carers twice a day as he continues his rehabilitation.
The couple had a busy summer planned, with a potential house move and wedding - both on hold for the time being.
For Ms Dhingra though, she is just delighted to have her partner home.
“It’s absolutely lovely to have him here, just to be able to sit and chat to him,” said Ms Dhingra.
“I’m running around after him a bit at the moment – I’ve told him it won’t last forever so make the most of it.
“It’s such a relief to have him back because I honestly didn’t believe he was going to come back.”
Ms Dhingra praised staff at the Princess Ro yal in Telford, the Royal Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth Hospitals– where he was treated.
They kept her informed and passed on messages from family members while they were unable to visit because of lockdown restrictions.
“The staff were brilliant,” she said.
“The care he’s had, we couldn’t fault. When things were at their very worst, as a family we said if he didn’t pull through, it wouldn’t be because he didn’t get the care he needed.
“They were great, always kept you informed and were very honest, which helped.”
Mr Hodgskin echoed the praise, for the “fantastic staff”, adding he was glad to be finally home and was looking forward to seeing friends and family.
“When you come home, you can relax a little bit more,” he added. "I'm really happy to be out."
