St Leonards man recovering after Covid-19 left him in critical condition

Numan Nasir, 56, fell ill two months ago shortly after visiting London for a few days to be with his family following the death of his sister.

Numan - who has previously had a kidney transplant, has high blood pressure, and is diabetic and asthmatic - developed symptoms shortly after arriving back home in St Leonards.

He stayed there for two weeks, during which time he struggled even walking to the bathroom due to his body lacking oxygen.

On April 12, his nephew drove him to St Mary's Hospital, in London - a hospital Numan has visited often as it specialises in his conditions and is somewhere he felt more comfortable as a result.

"When he got there (at 2am), he was scared to get admitted and just wanted to be home," said his daughter Shereen.

"The doctors said that they suspect that he's got the virus and he's only got 20-30 per cent chance of surviving the virus but if he goes home then he will definitely die. After a conversation or two with my uncle and other members of the family, he went in.

"As soon as he was admitted, he called all of us to basically say his goodbyes.

"He said to me 'take care of your mother and your brother' and I replied '...ok. Don't worry, the nurses and doctors will take care of you and you will be fine'. That was the last time I spoke to him because that night they put him under medically induced coma (sedation) and put him on the ventilator."

Shereen said her dad was stable during his first week in hospital, but started to get worse each day of the second week.

Numan was reliant on an oxygen machine and unable to respond to his wife during video calls. During this time, his kidneys were failing and Shereen was worried her dad was dying.

He spent six weeks sedated, during which time he contracted a bug - unrelated to Covid-19 - in his blood and underwent a number of procedures, whereby tubes were inserted to help him breathe.

He spent these weeks under a strong steroid medication, and antibiotics to treat the bug in his blood. During this time, his reliance on the oxygen machine lessened and his sedation was lowered.

By the end of May, Numan started to feel a bit better and was finally able to FaceTime Shereen on May 27.

At the start of June, he started some physical training which involved sitting on a chair and moving his legs and arms.

After struggling at first, Numan was eventually able to walk three metres with the help of a walking frame.

The nurses at the hospital began removing Numan's tubes, allowing him to swallow food and water.

Shereen said her dad, who remains in hospital, is now eating and drinking well. The virus has now left his body and Numan is in recovery.

Speaking after being told her dad was recovering from the virus, Shereen said: "My advice is for you all to take care. Don't go out if you don't have to and if you do, practice social distancing, wear masks, don't touch surfaces that you don't have to or touch your face and wash your hands. The virus is still out there and it is serious.

"Please do us all a favour - us vulnerable, young, old, medical professionals and frontliners - do your bit and take this seriously and stay at home as much as you can. Don't let the sunshine and the quietness fool you.

"I would like to thank all of the doctors and nurses that looked after my dad; they were all so patient and nice and caring.

"Karen, Nabeel - nurses that made my dad feel at home - and all the other ones that I cannot mention because I have forgotten your name.

"All the staff in St. Mary's Hospital, keep up the good work and stay strong. Thank you very much."