10 months in ICU: Leeds man reunited with wife for Valentine's Day

One of the country's longest-suffering coronavirus patients has been able to meet his wife for Valentine's Day, after spending more than 10 months battling the virus in intensive care.

Jason Kelk, 49 was admitted to St James's Hospital in Leeds at the end of March last year after experiencing breathing difficulties at home. Within days, the school IT worker was in intensive care.

Since then he's suffered delirium, damage to his kidneys and a cardiac arrest.

His wife Sue, has been by his side every step of the way. "It's been a rollercoaster", she said.

"It's really difficult at times, horrible because there's no end in sight. No one knows what's going to be the eventual outcome."

A couple of weeks ago, for the first time since he was admitted to intensive care, Jason took his first steps.

Happy that a man who has suffered so much was now well enough to be briefly wheeled out of intensive care, Jason and Sue were able to meet in person and swap Valentine's gifts.

Sue said: "He's got strength from somewhere, strength I never knew he had.

"Jay was the type of person who couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag, but he's fought his way out of sacks and sacks and he's determined to live."

Long COVID is thought to have affected thousands of people across the country. They suffer ongoing debilitating physical effects, but few as severe as Jason.

Jason's life will never be the same again and it is likely he'll continue to need some sort of ventilation alongside kidney dialysis three times a week.

But for Sue, all that matters is that Jason is making progress, and hopefully one day he'll be able to return home.