A man with Down's syndrome who was given just 24 hours to live after contracting coronavirus has been reunited with his family after b...
A man with Down's syndrome who was given just 24 hours to live after contracting coronavirus has been reunited with his family after beating the deadly bug.
Ben McCafferty, 34, was discharged from Bradford Royal Infirmary in West Yorkshire on Saturday after a two-week battle with the illness.
The heartwarming moment he was reunited with his mother after several weeks apart was caught on camera.
Ben McCafferty, 34, was discharged from Bradford Royal Infirmary in West Yorkshire on Saturday after a two-week battle with the illness
In the footage, Ben is getting ready to leave the ward with step-father Neil.
Neil talks to the camera and says: 'Ben came in a fortnight ago really poorly and we didn't expect him to survive.
'We were told the survival rate was going to be very low.
'But with the staff and the help and the support that he has had, he has come through and he looks to be fully fit and raring to go.
'He's looking forward to going home and seeing his mum.'
The clip then cuts to Ben walking down the corridor toward the exit of the hospital before spotting his mother Di Margerison.
The pair walk towards each other before hugging in an emotional reunion.
Ms Margerison had stayed with her son on the first night that he was admitted to hospital but was unable to continue due to restrictions amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
In the footage, Ben is getting ready to leave the ward with step-father Neil. Neil talks to the camera and says: 'Ben came in a fortnight ago really poorly and we didn't expect him to survive'
Head of Nursing at Bradford Teaching Hospitals, Karen Dawber, added that Ben had not been expected to survive another 24 hours and was initially being looked after in palliative care
As the clip continues she holds Ben's arm and encourages him as he thanks the NHS workers for treating him before the entire family receive a raucous round of applause as they walk out of the hospital hand-in-hand.
Head of Nursing at Bradford Teaching Hospitals, Karen Dawber, said that Ben had not been expected to survive another 24 hours and was initially being looked after in palliative care.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Ms Margerison said: 'I didn't think he would make it.
'It was the longest we had ever been apart. The care he received at the hospital saved his life.'
No comments