Coronavirus: 'I had to tell my wife I was going to die'

Tony Trueman was admitted to hospital with coronavirus on 1 April

A couple have spoken about how they coped when one of them thought they might not recover from coronavirus.

Tony Trueman, 63, from Birmingham, was discussing end-of life-care when he was admitted to hospital on 1 April.

He had "soaring temperatures" and was deemed unsuitable for ventilation due to underlying health conditions.

His wife of 16 years, Emma, said it was a "miracle" her husband was back home after they had said their final goodbyes in a "really hard" phone call.

"His prognosis was very poor," she said. "He just said to me, 'Look, I don't think I'm going to make this'."

Mr and Mrs Trueman celebrate their 16th anniversary on Friday

Mr Trueman cannot remember much of his time in hospital, but Emma, 49, said that saying goodbye was "very difficult".

"I could hear him struggling to breathe," she said. "I was just in pieces."

The couple discussed funeral arrangements and Mrs Trueman said she had been "waiting for that phone call" from the hospital staff when her husband's temperature started to fall.

NHS doctors and nurses had "packed ice around his body" to cool him down.

"It was a slow recovery," Mr Trueman said. "I'm very lucky."

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He was discharged from Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital on 10 April and has since been self-isolating in their Woodgate home.

Mr Trueman is isolating upstairs at the couple's home in Birmingham

"We've not even had a hug yet," Mrs Trueman said.

Mr Trueman's isolation period comes to an end on Friday, which also marks the couple's anniversary.

Asked how they will celebrate, he said: "A big hug".

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