“This will not be the last time we will see each other”, the drama of the television presenter whose husband has been hospitalized by Covid for more than a year

In the middle of March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic broke out on the planet to change everything. His coup at this time mainly affected Europe, where even Prince Charles was not spared deadly virus.

On hearing the news of the Covid affair in royalty, everyone who had been in contact with Queen Elizabeth’s son went on high alert. One of them had been Kate garraway, the host of the classic British cycle “Good Morning Britain”.

She had spoken to the prince during the “Prince’s Trust” awards ceremony on March 11, days before Carlos’s infection became known. “Around March 29/30, I came home and saw my husband in terrible shape. I said, ‘God, Derek, you look sick.’ ‘ Kate recounted the days when the nightmare began.

“He said he had a headache, numbness in his right hand and he was having trouble breathing. I called Dr Hilary (Jones) who spoke with Derek and then asked to speak to me again. “The doctor was frank with Kate: “I think you need to call an ambulance.”

Derek, 52 he was admitted to hospital on March 30 with very low oxygen levels and he remained unconscious, admitted to intensive care. Meanwhile, Kate and the family’s two children remained in isolation at home, suffering from the illness with mild symptoms.

“It won’t be the last time you will see me”

Kate said when they put him in the ambulance he told her: “This is not the last time you will see me. It is not.”. Although for her this sentence revealed the fear she had: “He would never have said that if at least a small part of him hadn’t wondered if he was going to die. “

The news from the hospital was dramatic: “Derek remains in intensive care and is still very ill.. I’m afraid this is still an unbearably worrying moment, ”said the woman who had to take care of the family and had to quit her television job.

The patient’s body was “universally affected” by the disease, which means that It targeted your lungs, heart, kidneys, liver, and pancreas.

During the roller coaster of those days, Kate had no rest, she couldn’t help but suffer from the plight of her husband: “His messages became more and more desperate. It was heartbreaking to read.”

When asked by the media about her husband’s health, Kate said: “I’m afraid he’s still in extremely critical condition, but it’s still there, which means there is hope. “

With some financial problems, added to the psychological support she had to give to her children, Kate was supported in the midst of complete uncertainty: “The journey for me and my family seems far from over, as every day my heart sinks as I learn new devastating ways this virus has more battles for Derek “.

In June, the driver reported that her husband no longer had the presence of coronavirus in his body, but it was still necessary recover from the damage that covid caused to their organs vital.

Four months after Derek’s admission, the man finally woke up from a coma. However, his condition was still extremely serious and he could not even open his eyes. Garraway said the recovery could take “years”.

For september Derek had already become the Covid patient with the longest recovery. In this context, Kate announced that she would return to the radio so that her husband could hear his voice in the hospital.

“Pain”

During a video call, Garraway was moved to hear her husband speak for the first time in seven months. What was the word? “Pain”What else could it be … Meanwhile, the family struggled with the tragedies that arose: debts, house issues like a broken refrigerator or the flooding of the house which only aggravated the drama.

He also had to suffer the theft of his car. In the hospital, the fight continued, Derek was in and out of a coma and exhausted, he uttered a deadly phrase during a phone call with Kate: “I want you at the funeral.”

The cold, the Christmas season, the exhaustion of confinement and the pain of a struggle that seemed to give her no respite brought her to a halt in the last days of December when Kate and her children Darcey (15) and Billy (11) They were able to visit Derek in the hospital over Christmas time.

Finally, in April, after more than 373 days in hospitalDerek was able to go home. “It’s a unique situation, so (doctors) are looking for unique solutions.”. The Good Morning Britain host described the past year as the most difficult experience of her life.

However, Derek’s condition remains critical, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to be the same again. “He has not recovered his speech and remains seriously ill. Doctors say he was the most serious patient to survive the virus.

To be able to receive it in your Garraway house she had to adapt her house to be more accessible to her husband, who cannot move or speak on their own and still must be in a stretcher or wheelchair.

He installed a ramp outside his property, in addition to converting his garage into a room specially designed to care for him. He is now believed to be facing medical bills costing him tens of thousands of pounds and that’s why she had to be helped by her friends.

Draper will work with physiotherapists and speech language pathologists as part of your recovery. Garraway also revealed that his home is equipped with an alarm system in case Draper needs urgent attention. “He can push a button with his right hand if he needs us.”

“We hope this will be final and he will not have to return to the hospital.”

Future difficult to predict

NHS intensivist Dr Ron Daniels explained, in dialogue with the Daily Mail, what happened to this case and what are the reasons your recovery has been so complex,

“It’s a bit like having a cast after breaking your legWhen it comes off six weeks later, the leg is worn out, it is much thinner and you have to go to a physiotherapist to regain your strength.

“You were stuck in a hospital bed with serious illness, never exercising.. You will have lost a significant amount of muscle mass as a result of the breakdown of your body.

On Derek’s inability to speak, Dr Daniels said that the cognitive cost of being in a coma for four months, as well as brain damage caused by the disease itself, could contribute.

“In addition to the cognitive failure and the consequences of being in a coma for so long, will have underlying Covid damage, including damage to nerve fibers. It may take time for your ability to speak to recover and you may their cognitive function is not completely resolved. “