You mentioned some support that you received since you came home, so the physiotherapist… Have you had any other support from the NHS?

Well, it’s only the official policy include also the neuro rehab in preparation for my going back to normal life, like more working back, and yeah, they tested me whether I’m ready to go back to work. They gave me some tests, my mind and everything, my thinking. I don’t know what’s the result, but they thought maybe I could do it fast because they ask me some questions and then do these things, like puzzles, they are testing whether I know how to solve these things. That’s it. I was able to do it. They even ask me can you give some words that begin with this letter, as much as you can? Well, I give more than they ask for me, I think. For example, give me as much as you can in one-minute words that begin with D. Okay, driver, dog, department, everything like that.

So, the neuro rehab and the physiotherapist.

Yes.

And the neuro rehab, was that online?

Yeah, it’s online, but they also ask me to go in person because I have to sit just like an exam. They did some figures, okay, do this and what does this need to be done, and then they show me some pictures and how much you can remember, what have I shown you, and can you repeat this, like that.

So, when they brought me to the hospital, I think they put me to sleep and that’s all I can remember. And then when I woke up, I can’t speak, but I can still communicate. I write something on a paper and then give it to the nurses looking after me of what I would like to say, and that’s the way it is.

Anyway, when I’m fully back to life I can only see and move my eyes and some parts of my body, but I cannot do anything. I’m so helpless. So, when the hospital show me my wife speaking on the video, I can only nod my head. Then within a week I was able to move around. They transfer me to the chair to improve my breathing because during that time I am on oxygen. And then when I have a trachea in my neck, and when they do the suctioning, I feel like they are taking away all the air from my lungs and I don’t feel comfortable about that kind of thing because I’m so weak. And then maybe after a week or two I’m already out of bed, I’m already in the chair, so I can see my wife waving on the video, and then I am also waving, but that’s all I can do at the moment.

Then they said I can talk already; they have to put something on my trache and then I was able to talk a little bit. And then after that, after the video, they remove it again so I cannot talk anymore. I want to communicate and to tell everybody what I would like. They cannot understand me. So, I’m back to writing everything what I want on a piece of paper, and that’s the way, how I communicate

My wife only told me that the doctors are very concerned and everything. I think they put me on forced coma, something like that, so they can do the things they want to do, because they need to save me. So, my wife told me the doctor called her and she’s very nervous because she thought the doctor will tell her I’m sorry, just like that. But the doctor said my condition is very serious, I got the severe form of Covid, and my chance of recovery is around 20 to 30 per cent. So, my wife is crying all the time, and she told my brothers and my sisters in the Philippines, and then they call my other brothers in the US and everything. So, they said they’d pray for me. And when the doctor told my wife that my chance of recovery is very slim my wife showed them a picture of her friend’s husband who has the same condition as me. Even the condition of hospital, he cannot speak and everything.

But she said this man has the same condition as my husband, but he recovered, now he is already at home. That is in Ireland. My wife said probably the doctors were challenged because they are better than the Irish. So, they tried to do the same thing, and eventually I recovered. So, when my wife showed me my picture, I saw myself lying motionless, like a dead person, I was scared. I don’t look good when I’m dead, I should not be dead, because I don’t want to lOKook at it. Even when my colleague, when I saw her, she came and looked at it, I’m like a dead person. I don’t look nice.

So, when the doctors finally said I can go home and continue my rehab at home I’m glad because I’m like a very thin person because my nutrition is very poor. I don’t like the hospital food. Only a small amount I can eat. So, when I get home, I eat as much as I can in my own food, with my own food, native food. So, I gain… When they discharged me, my wife said I’m like paper, I’m like a puppet, they had to carry me. Two people carrying me to my flat.

And then from there there is a zimmer frame, but I just cling to the wall because I don’t like using the zimmer frame. So, when I’m finally at home I can breathe well. Then day by day I am trying to gain my strength and I’m trying to inhale as much as I can and do some light exercise, and my wife is always with me because she also got the Covid but she’s asymptomatic, and she also ask her employer if she can take the off sick because she’s positive. So, she look after me for over a month, and attending to all my needs, and eventually I am gaining strength. I can now stand, and I can move around, but I don’t use the wheelchair…the zimmer frame.

And then a little bit into that, maybe around a month, I can go outside. My wife, she stood me in the gym. We had the aerial gym outside. And then walk around and then inhale fresh air from the park. Then the physio who is also coming to the communal area she assisted me in all those exercises. And then when she’s done, she just gave me some papers with drawings so I can do some exercise on my own, and I was able to do all of them anyway. But my main concern is how to walk independently without the frame. I eventually managed to do that, but I thought I’m very confident that I can walk already.