'I feel so lucky': Shropshire medic's joy at being with loved ones after coronavirus ordeal
A Shropshire doctor who battled for his life after catching coronavirus at the start of the pandemic today spoke of his relief to be with his family for Christmas and his hopes for the future as more vaccines are rolled out.
Dr Hamza Ansari, who works on the trauma and orthopaedic ward at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, described being frightened he would die after being struck down by the virus in April.
He today spoke of how lucky he feels to still be with the people he loves at this special time.
And he urged others to use his story as a cautionary tale as the region faces another period of lockdown restrictions.
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The 39-year-old was ill for a week, with serious shortness of breath and a temperature of more than 40 degrees, before being admitted to RSH and testing positive for Covid-19.
Dr Ansari's condition deteriorated and he was taken to the hospital's high dependency unit (HDU), with consultants telling him he was suffering respiratory failure.
He was given 100 per cent oxygen through a face mask, catheterised and fed through a tube.
At the time, he said he was fearful for his life and is still recovering from the virus today.
"Afterwards I was unable to sleep, I had flashbacks to HDU and even when I climb the stairs now I get short of breath," he said.
"It took time to get my strength back. My muscles were weakened, walking was very difficult at first."
Dr Ansari, who lives near to the hospital and is originally from Canada, took a fortnight off work but then went straight back to his duties, declaring it was 'all hands on deck' as half of his fellow doctors in the trauma unit were off sick or self-isolating.
"The team really came closer together, we became like a family," he said.
"I was really grateful I was able to make it through. I'm grateful to the staff for helping me get through it."
During the ordeal, Dr Ansari was alone in the UK as his family had been unable to return from a vacation in Canada because of lockdown.
Vaccine
After he was discharged from hospital, it was his senior consultant, Lieutenant Colonel Carl Meyer, who cared for him at his family home until he was well enough to continue his recovery alone.
Dr Ansari, who is now a foundation second year doctor, said: "Looking back, you only see things like this in the movies, it didn't seem like real life but it really did happen.
"I think about how lucky I am and that I can be with my family now.
"People should take the virus very seriously. It doesn't care about the colour of your skin or what religion you are, it affects everyone with unbiased selection."
Dr Ansari also recently had the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine and urged others to follow suit when it becomes available to them.
"I'm really excited about the vaccine," he said.
"It gives people a fighting chance to defend themselves and I would encourage everyone to get it.
"I have now come to the point where I can appreciate it's the small things in life we should be happy for.
"The big things are just the icing on top."
