Coronavirus: Wife's lockdown plea after husband's ordeal

Wanda Freeman said her husband Paul became "old and fragile" after contracting the virus

The wife of a man who spent 10 weeks in a coma due to coronavirus has pleaded with people to stick to England's new lockdown rules.

Wanda Freeman's husband Paul spent 98 days in hospital and is still dealing with the effects of long Covid.

The 63-year-old has kidney and liver damage as a result and has no memory of most of his time in care.

Mrs Freeman, 53, urged people to adhere to the latest nationwide restrictions, which came into effect on Thursday.

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Mr Freeman, from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, developed a sudden fever on 23 March and had difficulty breathing, before he was rushed to King's Mill Hospital and put into a coma.

After 13 days, staff said his kidneys were damaged and he was transferred to Lincoln County Hospital for specialist treatment.

"He deteriorated again and we thought he wasn't going to survive," said Mrs Freeman.

"I wasn't sleeping and was preparing myself for the worst - it was terrifying."

Mr Freeman had a tracheostomy to help him breathe after his ventilator was removed

It was not until 27 June - Paul's birthday - that she eventually saw him on a video call and visited him for the first time.

"It was quite upsetting. He didn't know me, which was heartbreaking. He had been well-built but he looked so old and fragile," she added.

"He was like a baby, having to learn to walk and talk again. Even holding a pen was a big struggle.

"He's such a clever bloke but now he suffers from brain fog and can't remember people's names or even what he had to eat an hour ago."

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Mr Freeman was eventually discharged from hospital in July.

In further heartache, Mrs Freeman's son Daniel, 35, died in August.

She said: "Paul's very lucky to be alive. He's been told he will have to have therapy on his lungs for two years and we are waiting to find out if he needs dialysis.

"People think Covid-19 is a bad flu - it's not.

"It's not worth risking the heartache we've experienced to meet up with family or friends. I'd urge people to take it seriously and stick to the rules."

'Just stuck here'

Mr Freeman said: "I can't remember anything from falling ill in March to waking up in June.

"I like to keep busy but now I can do hardly anything. I need a frame to walk and I get tired so quickly. I tried to hang a curtain the other day and almost collapsed.

"It would be great to get back to work but at the moment, I'm just stuck here."

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