NHS staff in Dartford lined hospital corridors clapping and cheering on Sunday as one of their own walked out following a recovery from coronavirus described as "just short of a miracle."
Radiographer Paul Skegg suffered a rare complication of Covid-19 that led to total muscular paralysis of the whole body.
The 42-year-old proposed to his girlfriend Katy over FaceTime at what he thought was his "last leg" whilst in intensive care, but after 11 days in the unit he walked out of Darent Valley Hospital on Sunday with a guard of honour.
In an emotional video shared by the trust, Mr Skegg and his now-fiancee can be seen leaving the hospital to whoops and claps.
Today, we lined the corridor for one of our own and clapped this frontline NHS staff home. Paul walked out of hospital today having proposed to his girlfriend Katy via FaceTime when he was still in the ITU, where he stayed for 11 days. #TeamDGT #WeAreTheNHS @NHSMillion pic.twitter.com/tQAMopO4eB
— Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust (@DarentValleyHsp) April 19, 2020
Dr Jonathan Kwan, divisional medical director at the Kent hospital, said the radiographer was admitted on April 3 and later developed Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a very rare complication of Covid-19.
It is the first known case in Kent, if not the whole country, he said.
During his time in the intensive treatment unit (ITU), Mr Skegg, who has worked for the health service for 24 years, popped the question to girlfriend Katy Lavender.
The pair both work as radiographers for different NHS trusts.
Dr Kwan said: "He thought he was in his last leg and he took a deep breath and mouthed the proposal through his tracheotomy tube.
"To no-one's surprise, Katy accepted, to the immense delight of all the ITU staff looking after him.
"It was an extraordinary happy occasion to otherwise sweaty hard-slog routines of ITU."
Dr Kwan paid tribute to the critical care team as well as the hospital's expert neurologists, who used a "groundbreaking" therapy to treat Mr Skegg.
It used an immunoglobulin infusion, a plasma extract from blood donations supplied by the National Blood Transfusion Service.
He said: "Without this, Paul might have been on the ventilator for much longer.
"His rapid recovery is just short of a miracle.
"Today, we lined the corridor for one of our own and clapped this front-line NHS staff home, following a 16-day stay at Darent Valley Hospital."
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