Triple organ failure and three weeks on a ventilator: One man's recovery from coronavirus

ITV News is shining a light on Walsall in the West Midlands, hearing from the people and communities dealing with the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. Tune in for a special ITV Evening News programme from 6.30pm on Tuesday, May 19 on ITV.

Patients admitted to intensive care with coronavirus do not have the best chances of survival. In fact, the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre puts the death rate at around 51% and a similar percentage of patients on ventilators also die.

That's what makes stories of recovery so remarkable. I met Ian Hawkins, who is recovering from coronavirus at Walsall Manor Hospital. He's 57, with no underlying health conditions and has just spent three weeks on a ventilator.

He was a transferred to ICU almost immediately after arriving at the hospital back in March and as he went down to theatre to be ventilated, he sent a text to his wife saying he was going on a ventilator for a couple of days and that he loved her.

  • Ian Hawkins describes waking up from his induced coma after suffering with coronavirus

Three weeks later, he was brought round. He'd fought off coronavirus, had triple organ failure and developed sepsis.

The consultant treating him didn't expect him to survive and his family were told to expect the worst. He did survive though. Not only had he just been through the most traumatic experience physically, but mentally too.

It took more than a week to come round properly and even yesterday he was unsure of times, dates and the detail of what happened. Then there's his wife, who spent three weeks not knowing whether Ian would live or die and crucially not being able to see him. If that doesn't take a mental toll, I don't know what does.

Ian has tested negative for the virus now and is beginning his long road to recovery.

He's still on oxygen and has to have physiotherapy every day. The first thing he had to do was learn to breathe on his own again (ventilators breathe for you), he then had to learn to talk again and then eat.

  • Mr Hawkins talks about his family's realisation he might die from Covid-19

His next challenge is to sit up himself, then slowly, develop the strength to stand and at some point learn to walk again. None of this happens quickly. While I was there the physiotherapists hoisted him and sat him in a chair.

The whole process took 15 minutes and by the time he was sitting his oxygen levels had plummeted and the consultant was called to check him over. I was worried our presence had caused him to over exert himself, and I returned later on to check he was alright and apologise for anything we might have done to cause further distress.

"It wasn't you," he said, "this is what happens everyday. Just sitting up and getting into a chair is really hard, it's like this everyday."

I was relieved but concerned at how Ian was coping with the emotional impact of his condition worsening, even just momentarily.

Ian is on the road to recovery after his battle with coronavirus. Credit: ITV News

The nurses and physiotherapists told me it's likely to take up to two years for Ian to recover fully, but they are basing their assessment on "usual" ICU patients - not on Covid patients. It could take much longer for Ian.

One thing I wanted to speak to Ian about was his mental wellbeing. How was he coping knowing that he'd just spent more than a fortnight on a ventilator? How did he cope not being able to see his wife or children once he came round? He said he was getting there, but I knew deep down the trauma had left a much larger, indelible mark.

Ian's bed was facing a window, it looked out onto trees and a car park and has literally been his window to the outside world. When he was first brought round from his induced coma he was placed in front of it and his wife and children came and stood at it. It's an image that's very hard to think about without feeling emotional.

Helen, his wife, told me it was a very difficult moment because she'd wanted to be strong for Ian but couldn't help but cry. She hadn't seen him for weeks and had mentally begun grieving for him while he was on a ventilator.

  • Helen Hawkins speaks about how she has coped following her husband's admission to hospital

Ian told me seeing his wife and children at the window was a life saver. The rehabilitation nurse looking after him talked of the importance of healing the mind as well as the body.

She's encouraged him to write a diary to help with memories. They speak about his dreams, his motivations and the challenges ahead. The psychological rehabilitation will continue for years to come, perhaps even many years after the physical rehabilitation ends.

Ian is just one of thousands of patients who is starting this journey of recovery. The nurses in Walsall wanted to point out that he, along with the others, are immensely lucky.

They have also lost many patients, even one of their own members of staff and for the families of those people the rehabilitation is a different one altogether.

Those who died will never be forgotten, the staff said, and sadly they can't do anything for them now but what they can do is ensure the survivors continue to get the best possible care they can offer.

Coronavirus: Everything you need to know: