Nurse, 35, who caught coronavirus on frontline shares heartbreaking diary from hospital bed

A NURSE has told how she begged medics "don't let me die" in a heartbreaking diary from her high-dependency hospital bed where she is fighting coronavirus.

Brave Kelly Ward, 35, developed a cough during a hospital shift and was then rushed back in an ambulance 24 hours later gasping for breath.

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The mum-of-two, who has worked as a nurse for 12 years, remains seriously ill on a CPAP ventilator at Bradford Royal Infirmary in West Yorks.

So far, over 140 healthcare workers have died fighting the deadly virus.

In her diary - My Covid Journey - Kelly tells how she began to feel unwell on April 19 after an extra weekend shift.

Writing from her hospital bed she said: "Driving home, I suddenly went really weak, felt red hot, just didn’t feel right at all.

"I took myself to bed for the rest of the day and night.

"I was literally sweating and freezing my way through the night spiking temps etc and felt really short of breath."

The next day she organised a Covid-19 test and with the help of her fiance, Ryan Golding, 34, got herself to hospital.

She wrote: "We got back home at 11.15am and I crawled back upstairs to bed.

"I did the 111 symptoms checker, spoke to my line manager and consultant again and explained it said did I need to ring an ambulance. They advised I really should.

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"Me being me: was I really that bad? I gave it half an hour or so and I genuinely felt I couldn’t breathe, actually gasping.

"I knew I had to get onto my front if I could, I managed my side and Ryan rang an ambulance."

Medics tried to regulate Kelly's breathing and gave her oxygen before moving her to the high dependency unit of the A&E for cardiac monitoring and then onto a ward.

She continued: "I just started getting worse over the course of the night, just felt absolutely dreadful.

"I’d lost all taste and appetite, felt so dry because of the oxygen I was on, and I didn’t know if I could even move.

"I couldn't talk in more than one word answers.

"I eventually fell asleep but not for long, was dripping with sweat and I woke up with a start and panicked, really panicked.

"I'd slid right down the bed flat on my back and I couldn’t get up. Luckily this little cute lady in the bed opposite saw me and shouted the nurses.

"It took me ages to come round again."

On Tuesday (April 21) she was given a CT scan before a consultant from intensive care asked her if she would be willing to take part in a clinical trial for medications that might help Covid-19 patients.

She added: "Later on that evening I was seen by the medical team who were quite concerned and wanted to put me on a CPAP machine to help my breathing, and they wanted to do it NOW.

"That’s when I started to panic, and get really upset.

"I hadn’t seen my kids or Ryan, my family, my friends and what if I got worse, and it didn’t work?!

"They fitted me with the mask: imagine someone pressing right down over your nose and mouth and putting your head out of an aeroplane window; it was AWFUL.

"I didn’t think I could tolerate it and I panicked big time telling the nurses to take it off.

"I knew one of them; we worked together previously and I said to her: "Don’t let me die".

Kelly, who was a candidate for intensive care, began to rally and by Wednesday ate for the first time in three days.

But within four days she was back on the CPAP ventilator.

She continued: "The last few days have passed in a blur and in a lot of ways I’ve become weaker.

"I’ve not been able to get out of bed now for three days because I’m just not stable enough."

On Sunday she saw the consultant from intensive care again - writing: "We had to have some really quite frank and honest discussions that, at 35-years-old, I shouldn’t have been having and it broke my heart.

"I’ve told him not to let me die and I’m scared. My family know I’m scared too and I’ve GOT to keep fighting this.

"He promised me he will offer whatever it takes to help me and to trust him.

"It’s going to be a very long road but I’m going to win this battle."

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Kelly, of Shipley, West Yorks., posted her latest entry yesterday. It read: "Nine days days since symptoms started.

"The consultant came this morning and said: 'We do feel you have now turned a bit of a corner as last week you were critically ill.

"He said 'it is going to be a slow process but I am confident now you are over the worst'.

"This is reality. This time last week I was preparing my goodbyes to my family, my children and my friends. At 35-years-old.

"It’s really hit home. So hard.

"I am a front line worker yes but I’m a Mum and a partner and I have to keep my fight up with this.

"I don’t want sympathy, I want to raise SO much awareness that this hideous illness can really strike ANYONE at anytime so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE stay home.";

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