On 5th September, Dad was taken to hospital after a week of suffering with covid. His oxygen levels dropped and he needed help. Oxygen wasn’t enough. On 8th September, he was taken to ICU and put on CPAP, whilst spending 12-16 hours a day laying on his front to try and get oxygen to his lungs. That wasn’t enough. On 14th September, the doctors said he was in a dangerous place and required a ventilator. After a phone call with his family, he was put into an induced coma where he stayed for 17 days. 

Dad spent 9 weeks in ICU, followed by a few weeks on a ward and then to Mount Gould for rehabilitation for 7 weeks. 

135 days Dad was in hospital. On 18th January, he finally came home . His lungs are so scarred from the virus that he needs oxygen to just move. He cannot walk without aid because he has no feeling in his feet. His life looks very different at the moment. But instead of focusing on the challenges he continues to face, whilst processing the difficulties he has already experienced, he and the rest of us are just so appreciative that his determination and strength means that we still have memories to be made. 

During the first month of toughest times, Dad was not allowed to see his family because of the virus. After a month, one of us could see him for 1 hour a day. During these 135 days, the nurses, doctors and physios became family. They seen him through the darkest moments, they cared for him, ran constant tests, treated him, monitored him 24/7 and truthfully, kept him alive so he could fight for his life. The physios taught him how to walk again. There are not enough words to describe how incredible the ICU and Mount Gould staff are.  So instead of trying to find the words, Dad would like to raise money for Penrose, ICU.

I am going to run the Plymouth Half Marathon on Sunday 19th June in hope that we can donate some money to an incredible unit and team. 

They are real life heroes… As is my Dad