A patient who has recently been treated for coronavirus (COVID-19) at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust has shared his story and words of appreciation to the staff who cared for him.
This follows the story of school office manager Carmel Smith and nursery practitioner Very Masire, which the hospital shared last week.
Married father-of-two Lloyd Wood, 68, a chef, from Broxbourne, Hertfordshire
Lloyd said: “The first signs of me feeling unwell were on Friday, 13 March after I arrived home from work. I felt hot and cold and went straight to bed at around 7pm. I hadn’t been abroad for over a year or as far as I knew, in contact with anyone with coronavirus (COVID-19).
“I then continued to feel hot and cold and displayed flu like symptoms for the next few days, but it didn’t seem out of the ordinary. However, I collapsed at around 6am on Wednesday, 18 March. An ambulance was called and paramedics worked on me at home before taking me to The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, where I was admitted.
“During the first stages of my time in hospital, my physical state wasn’t too good, with difficulties in breathing, and walking around proved exhausting. My emotional state was at times very low.
“My experience of the care from the doctors and nurses in hospital was very good and I was treated well.
“I spent nine days on a ward in the hospital in total, and fortunately I did not need intensive care.
“I was discharged home in the evening of Thursday, 26 March. I feel great now and I am gaining strength, one day at a time.
“I will forever be grateful to the absolutely incredible people who helped me.”
Sharon McNally, director of nursing, midwifery, and allied health professionals, said: “We are so glad to see that Lloyd, Carmel, and Very, alongside many other patients, are doing well in their recovery from coronavirus (COVID-19).
“It is fantastic to hear such high praise for our dedicated teams, who are working hard to support our patients. It means a great deal to our doctors, nurses and support staff to receive these words of gratitude.
“We encourage our patients to continue to get in touch and share thank you messages with our staff, as they are deeply appreciated.”
You can share your words of thanks with hospital staff by calling the patient experience team on
01279 827084 or emailing [email protected].