Dear resident,

Thank you to everyone that has been staying home and saving lives during this ongoing national health emergency.

As the weekend approaches, I urge everyone to continue to do this despite the good weather that is predicted.

Unfortunately, we still hear every day about the sad number of deaths due to Coronavirus (Covid-19). However, I have been delighted this week to also hear some wonderful stories, such as how people are not only volunteering and helping vulnerable residents, but one tale of a resident that has thankfully survived this terrible disease and has agreed for me to tell you his tale.

Coronavirus can affect anyone

A usually fit and healthy runner and cyclist, Simon was admitted to hospital on the advice of his GP after he, wife Kate and their two girls, suffered some of the symptoms of fevers and aches and pains.

Simon, however, was also severely dehydrated due to less common gastric symptoms and, once in hospital, was found to have pneumonia.

Simon was in the Luton and Dunstable Hospital for eight days, four of which he has little recollection of as his temperature remained above 39 degrees. He admits he was “oblivious and a little ill-informed” in terms of how sick he was, as his condition deteriorated.

His wife Kate drove home just how this affects whole families, when she said: “This was the most terrifying thing I have experienced, made worse by the fact that I could not be with Simon or talk to him and was having to manage my own fears and pacify those of our daughters.”

Simon’s sister Sally and his mother – having to self-isolated hundreds of miles away in Cornwall – were also fraught with worry. That was until, on day five, Simon’s temperature finally relented, and he began to turn a corner, though he lost 12kg and is now dealing with fatigue, which could take 6-12 weeks to recover from.

Stay home, stay safe

I’m glad that Simon is now on the mend, and his story drives home just how important it is to stay home and stay safe. But don’t just take it from me, take it from Simon.

He said: “My advice is stay at home and, when out, be incredibly sensible about social distancing. This virus can affect young, old and everyone in between. All my friends have been shocked that it impacted me due to my levels of fitness.

“I am thankful that I do have that a level of fitness and that may have helped me personally, but if Covid-19 opens the doors to infections to the levels that I had, then for those less fortunate, fit or with underlying health conditions, I would fear for their health and recovery.

“I think I just got lucky, but had a lot of help getting that luck from the local GP support, my wife, family and then the NHS. We can see in the news every day that people are not so lucky. Don’t take chances – you don’t know where the roulette wheel could land!”