Former nursery nurse who survived coronavirus thanks NHS staff for hospital care

A former nursery nurse from Derbyshire has thanked NHS staff for their work in saving her life.

Joan Birkhead contracted coronavirus and developed pneumonia earlier this month.

The 72-year-old was taken to the Royal Derby Hospital in an ambulance on April 4th.

She has since recovered and is now recuperating back at home with her husband.

She told ITV Central about some of the harrowing work being done by staff at the Royal Derby.

She said the nurses and doctors who helped her during her time at the hospital made the entire ordeal bearable.

She spoke of staff going above and beyond - providing both physical and mental support throughout her time at the intensive care unit.

Despite Joan suffering because of the virus, she says her experience with NHS workers meant she left with “so many special moments.”

She has thanked every worker who made her recovery that much easier.

She is now urging others to go out and celebrate our key workers. She said when she was in isolation she clapped so hard for NHS staff that she hurt her hands.

Yesterday, ITV dedicated a whole day to celebrate the NHS staff fighting coronavirus.

Patients who've recovered from the virus spent the day thanking the medical teams who saved their lives.

You can watch more Coronavirus survivors saying thank you to the NHS here:

Coronavirus: Everything you need to know