Grandfather, 57, makes ‘miracle’ recovery after he battled coronavirus for 65 days and spent six weeks in a coma as his weight plummeted to just NINE stone
- Victor McCleary, 57, was working in the construction industry until March 23
- He fell ill on March 27 and went into isolation along with fiance Helen Madden
- On April 5 he was rushed into hospital after finding it difficult to breathe
- He warned people against playing ‘Russian Roulette’ by spreading Covid-19
A grandfather who was just hours from death when his weight plummeted to nine stone during a 65 day battle with coronavirus has defied medics to make a ‘miracle’ recovery.
Victor McCleary, 57, spent six weeks in a coma after being struck down with the killer virus which left him unable to eat or breathe for himself.
His family were told to say their final goodbyes after being told it was unlikely he would survive the disease as he ‘literally withered away’ in hospital.
Victor McCleary, pictured with his partner Helen Madden, spent six months in a coma while battling Covid-19
His family were warned that he may never recover from the illness after some of his organs began to fail
The 15 stone construction worker was left just ‘skin and bone’ after he dropped six stone during his 11 week stint in hospital as nurses fed him through a tube
The 15 stone construction worker was left just ‘skin and bone’ after he dropped six stone during his 11 week stint in hospital as nurses fed him through a tube.
During this time, his fiancée Helen Madden, 55, also lost her father, John, to the disease and feared the worst for her partner as he lay in intensive care.
But incredibly, Mr McCleary’s condition miraculously improved thanks to the tireless efforts of NHS staff at Worcestershire Royal Hospital who cared for him around the clock.
After a total of 65 days in hospital – during which time he had to learn how to sit, stand and walk again – he was finally discharged and sent home on June 9.
Mr McCleary, of Worcester, said: ‘I take my hat off to the staff at the hospital, they went above and beyond for me and are the reason I am still here today.
‘The doctors told my family that it was likely I wouldn’t survive. They said I could pass on at any moment.
‘I was on 100 per cent oxygen and unable to breathe by myself.
‘I was literally withering away. When I came out of the coma, I remember looking down at my body in shock and thinking I had been in a car crash.
‘It was like someone had stolen my body. I only saw skin and bone.
‘I thought “Oh my life what’s gone on here”. Before going into the coma, I was fit enough but I was quite a big lad. I was strong and had quite a lot of muscle.
Mr McCleary said: ‘I was literally withering away. When I came out of the coma, I remember looking down at my body in shock and thinking I had been in a car crash. It was like someone had stolen my body. I only saw skin and bone’
‘But then all of a sudden, here I was, being unable move. I had to learn to sit up then learn to walk again.
‘I was given a food supplement through a syringe into my stomach due to the damage done to my vocal cords. I always felt hungry but there was no other way.
‘This has been so hard for me. It was a terrifying journey. I still feel so weak. Going upstairs is like climbing a mountain.
‘I know we all look at the NHS workers with pride, but until you have watched these guys and gals give 110 per cent up close it hits home.
‘They never moan, they always show compassion and they put themselves on the front line.
‘I can say I feel so proud of the NHS team, the best in the world.’
Mr McCleary said he began to fall ill on March 27, and both he and Helen, who works at Worcestershire Royal Hospital as a cleaner, decided to self isolate for two weeks.
The grandfather-of-four and father-of-two said he expected the virus to be the like a cold or the flu and now wants to warn others of the dangers of Covid-19.
He added: ‘I started hearing about coronavirus at the beginning of March, the same as everyone else really.
‘My work in construction takes me all over the place and I was still working up until March 23.
‘I have to be honest, I wasn’t really worried, I didn’t realise the extent of the virus.
‘I imagined it would just be like flu. I am a large bloke and very fit and healthy so I wasn’t too fazed by it.
‘But I knew how I felt was not normal. I have never been ill and not missed a day of work for 17 years.
‘I was losing my breath walking up the stairs, I would get dizzy and my temperature rose to 42.
‘On Sunday, April 5, in the morning I told Helen I found it hard to breathe so she called 111 and within ten minutes the ambulance was with us.
He said: ‘I imagined it would just be like flu. I am a large bloke and very fit and healthy so I wasn’t too fazed by it’
‘At a glance, they said they thought I had coronavirus and took me to hospital. I always remember thinking this will be okay, it’s only like the flu.
‘When I got into the hospital I was drifting in and out and the following day, I was put into the intensive care unit. After that, I had no memory.’
While Mr McCleary was in intensive care, his family were left in limbo while Helen, sadly lost her father to the disease on Good Friday.
He said: ‘I was having to be fed a supplement with syringes through my nose as they had damaged my vocal cords with the tube.
‘There was a tube in my nose and this thing would move so there would be days when I wouldn’t get any food at all. They said it was a miracle I survived.
‘Helen really did have a lot going on in her life – with me in hospital, her father dying but then we had a grandson Noah born in that time as well.
‘It must have been a rollercoaster for her and she remained strong for me and her family.
‘While I was recovering I had nothing but time to think. I realise now what I nearly lost and I thank God I pulled through.’
Mr McCleary was transferred to Birmingham’s QE Hospital on May 17 because of the rehabilitation required due to his kidneys not functioning properly
He said: ‘I recovered remarkably quickly, and now all things considered I am doing really well. I want to thank the NHS staff at both hospitals for my life and this second chance. I will get strong again but it will take time’
Mr McCleary was transferred to Birmingham’s QE Hospital on May 17 because of the rehabilitation required due to his kidneys not functioning properly.
He said: ‘I recovered remarkably quickly, and now all things considered I am doing really well.
‘I want to thank the NHS staff at both hospitals for my life and this second chance. I will get strong again but it will take time.’
Mr McCleary also blasted those who continue to underestimate the disease while packing out Britain’s parks and beaches and gathering in large numbers.
He said: ‘You wouldn’t play Russian Roulette, but that’s what they’re doing.
‘People need to be educated better. I thought it would never happen to me and I would be strong enough to get over it.
‘My message to everyone is to be seriously aware of what this virus is. It kills. Please don’t take the chance.’
Mr McCleary also blasted those who continue to underestimate the disease while packing out Britain’s parks and beaches and gathering in large numbers. He said: ‘You wouldn’t play Russian Roulette, but that’s what they’re doing’
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