Janice was clapped by staff as she was discharged from King George Hospital yesterday (credit: BHRUT)
Janice Benham, 63, received treatment at King George Hospital, in Goodmayes, for almost three months after falling ill.
She and her husband, Phillip, both contracted the virus after returning from holiday in Morocco, where they had been celebrating because Janice had recently received the all-clear from breast cancer.
Phillip, 65, became unwell with flu-like symptoms first.
“I started to feel better after a few days, however, then it hit me like a ton of bricks,” he said. “I didn’t think it was Covid though, I thought I had the flu.
“We called an ambulance when Janice started to feel unwell with similar symptoms, a cough and breathlessness, and they took us both in.
“I was able to go home after four days, however, Janice got worse and had to go to intensive care. It was difficult as I couldn’t come in and see her.
“The ITU staff were fantastic and called me every day to keep me updated.”
Janice was discharged from hospital on Monday, just in time for her daughter Claire’s 37th birthday today.
The three of them are spending today at home, having a barbeque in their garden.
Janice said: “It’s lovely to be home with my family. I am a little bit anxious as I know I still have a long road to recovery, however, my husband and daughter are very good so I know I’ll get a lot of support from them.
“The hospital staff who looked after me were absolutely fantastic. The team on the respiratory ward became like a second family. They’d do really nice things like getting me a bacon sandwich, and they always shared cake with me. Little things like that really made a difference when I was away from my family for so long.
“Everyone looking after me was so lovely, especially Mel Kyte. She was an ITU nurse who really supported me. Even when I left ITU she’d come and see me to see how I was. She was fantastic.”
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Tags: Havering, Goodmayes, Upminster, King George Hospital
