A 49-year-old man thought to be one of the UK’s longest-fighting Covid patients after going into hospital in March is in a battle for survival his wife has described as ‘nothing short of miraculous’.
Jason Kelk was admitted to St James’ Hospital in Leeds, West Yorks., on March, 31 – just one day after TV presenter, Kate Garraway’s husband, Derek Draper.
Three days later, on April 3, Jason was moved to an intensive care unit (ICU) where he has remained ever since.
His devoted wife Sue Kelk has paid tribute to Jason’s strong will and strength of character as he continues to fight the effects of the virus which have confined him to a hospital bed and hooked up to a ventilator for nine months.
Doctors have told Sue, 63, that Jason is one of only a handful of people in the country who have been battling the effects of coronavirus for so long.
Sue, who lives in Seacroft, Leeds, West Yorks., said: “It’s nothing short of miraculous that Jason is still here. It just shows his strength of character and his will to live.
“It shows his will to come home to me and his family.”
Jason fell ill in March this year and, having struggled with a continuous cough, Sue called 111 on Saturday, March 28 when he became quite breathless.
He was given antibiotics but his condition continued to worsen and Sue called for an ambulance on Tuesday, March 31.
She said: “The paramedics found his oxygen saturation was lower than they would like and they took him to the hospital but said he would probably be sent home soon.
“His cough wasn’t a new cough and he didn’t have fever so he didn’t really have any of the symptoms. We didn’t think of Covid.
“Even when the Covid swab came back positive the following night I still thought he’d be coming home.”
Jason’s condition began to deteriorate and he was moved to ICU on April 3 where he has remained ever since.
Jason, who works in IT at a local primary school, had certain risk factors for severe Covid as a type two diabetic with mild asthma but no-one imagined he would still be struggling nine months later.
Following his admittance to ICU, his oxygen levels dropped dangerously low and he was placed on a ventilator and sedated for the next four weeks – regularly being moved into a ‘prone’ position on his front to increase oxygen to his lungs.
Sue, a former nurse, said the virus has severely damaged his lungs and he still needs the ventilator to breathe, with any attempts to remove it having been short-lived.
She said: “They tried to get him on a mask during the day and off the ventilator. They managed it for 23 hours but he was so tired it had to be abandoned.”
Jason’s kidneys have also been seriously affected and he is on a kidney filter 24 hours a day, seven days a week – something that can only be managed in ICU.
In addition, Jason has developed suspected diabetic gasteroparesis – where his stomach nerves don’t function properly – and has to be fed intravenously; however, he is too poorly for this to be medically investigated at the moment.
Mum-of-five Sue remains in awe of how much her husband, who is a step-father to her children, has battled through.
She said: “The fact he has fought through all of it is absolutely incredible. I’m so proud of him.”
Sue, who has been with Jason for 20 years and married for three, has struggled to see him regularly because of lockdown difficulties and Jason has only been outside three times since his admission.
The last time he ventured outdoors was on December 12 and Sue was most recently able to see him on Boxing Day.
Speaking about his latest trip outside, Sue said: “It was very spontaneous – they had enough staff so they were able to take him out. I was facetiming him as he went – if you had seen that man smile.
“Even though it was cold and wet, it was fantastic.”
When lockdown was lifted over the summer, Sue was able to visit Jason every few days if he felt well enough, but when the UK was plunged back into a second lockdown in November that had to stop.
Sue said: “That was gutting. Facetime is all very well and it’s a link to your loved one but you can’t touch them – it’s just not the same.
“Just touching Jason is fantastic and to be able to hold his hand is a tonic.”
Sue does believe over the last couple of months Jason’s condition has seemed more positive, managing lower ventilator pressures and undergoing new physio nearly every day but admits him being in hospital for so long is incredibly hard.
She said: “It’s been really hard – I’ve struggled every day. Jason being in ICU for so long is very, very rare.
“I didn’t realise how strong a character Jason was. I just wish I had hugged him more. Not before he went into the ambulance but throughout our relationship.
“Because now I can’t and that’s really hard.”
For now, Sue and Jason are trying to focus on the positives and Sue said the ultimate aim is to get him home, even if it’s on a ventilator and with intermittent dialysis.
Sue said: “Every time he seemed to be improving I would get excited but always at the back of your mind you know he is still really sick.
“But I think coming home could be more of a possibility.
“We have conversations saying when Strictly Come Dancing is on next year we’ll be able to sit an watch it together.”
Sue has set up a fundraising page for Jason to buy him a TV for his room, to donate click here: https://uk.gofundme.com/f/TV-for-Jason