A dad-of-two has opened up about his coronavirus battle after being given a 50/50 chance of survival.
Dean Frost, of Humbledon, fell ill at the end of March and after calling a doctor was told the symptoms were similar to coronavirus and should self-isolate.
But the 39-year-old’s condition began to deteriorate, his family called the emergency services and Dean was rushed to hospital as his oxygen levels dropped dangerously low.
When he arrived at Sunderland Royal Hospital, Dean was told he had a 50/50 chance of survival.
He said: “They said I was 30 minutes away from being in the intensive care unit (ICU) as my lungs were that scarred. They said there was a 50/50 chance I was going to die.
“I didn’t have to go to the ICU because the levels of oxygen increased.
“It was the scariest moment of my life.”
If Dean had been admitted to the ICU he would have been put in an induced coma and on a ventilator.
When Dean left his wife, Natalie, 38, and their two children, Gabrielle, 16, and Louis, 12, they didn’t know if they would ever see him again.
He said: “No one is allowed to go with you, you are allowed no contact with them.
“I had my phone so I was trying to use that and tell them what was happening.”
Dean spent eight days in hospital before being allowed to return home.
He said: “The support and help in the hospital was incredible. I was lucky to get out.”
Dean’s daughter has now made a video sharing her dad’s fight with coronavirus.
He said: “I could not watch it the first time it was shown to me.
“I did it by myself the second night. It was very emotional, very powerful.”
Now Dean is pleading for people to stick to the Government’s lockdown rules and stay home.
He said: “Stay in, be safe. Spend time with your family, you never know what is round the corner.”
