Darlington mum in intensive care beats coronavirus and returns home

Sarah Wood was rushed to Darlington Memorial Hospital with breathing issues on March 27, after nearly a week of illness. Within an hour, the 35-year-old mum was x-rayed and tested positive for coronavirus.

Her partner, Christopher McCurdy, said: “It started with a headache. Then she was struggling to see in the light; her eyes were hurting, but she had no temperature at all. Then she got a cough which was dry and intense.”

When the couple, who live in Skerne Park, Darlington, called 111, Miss Wood was advised to self isolate, but days later, she started to vomit and the cough worsened.

“Her lips started to change colour and she was being sick for three hours,” her 32-year-old partner said.

“We called 111 again but they said that it was just a panic attack, that she was worried about getting the virus, and she should rest.

“One evening, at 10pm, she texted me from upstairs to say she needed help and that it was serious.”

Mr McCurdy was on hold for nearly an hour before he was able to speak to someone on the 111 line, telling them “someone needs to come and see Sarah”.

He added: “I went upstairs to be with her while we waited for an ambulance but she was passed out, totally unresponsive. Her eyes were rolling back into her head.”

Miss Wood was put to sleep in the intensive treatment unit (ITU or ICU) and put on a ventilator as she was becoming critically ill.

After a week, she was stable and becoming responsive as the hospital lowered the paralysis medication and sedatives with a plan to wake her and remove the ventilator pipe from her throat.

However, the throat was inflamed and had signs of infection, complicating the processes and resulting in Miss Wood being induced into a coma once again.

Mr McCurdy, who has been with Miss Wood for six years, said this is the longest the couple have been apart.

He added: “I cried for the whole first week.

“My little girl doesn’t understand how serious it was. She has been my rock, telling me ‘Mummy will come home when she is better. She still loves us’.”

The week prior to Miss Wood’s illness, Mr McCurdy had also been ill.

“People don’t understand that this is a lot more serious than they think.

“We were joking about it too when I fell poorly, but it was so different for me. If anyone flouts rules and spreads it, if it’s a serious strain you have, you’re risking your whole family.”

A second attempt, on April 7, to remove the tube from Miss Wood’s throat was successful, with the mum awake and breathing with a ventilator through a tracheostomy the next day. This was then also removed days later.

“Sarah’s recovery feels quick. The hospital were doing little things like putting me and my daughter on loud speaker when we called, even though Sarah was asleep, so she’d be able to hear us,” said Mr McCurdy, who is “over the moon with Sarah’s recovery” and has since set up a fundraising page to raise money for the hospital.

“Me and our little girl have really struggled. It was a complete shock, we just thought it would be like a cold.

“The hospital have been very open and honest the whole time. We just want to thank them for their work. They said there will be bumps in the road, but they are putting their lives at risk and I can not imagine how painful and upsetting it must be.”

Miss Wood was tested, negatively, two more times before being moved out of intensive care, during which she was given a standing ovation by hospital staff for her recovery.

She returned home to her family this afternoon, and said: “Having spent almost three weeks on ITU, it’s a relief to have improved enough to go home. The staff are amazing, I’m receiving the best possible care which is why my partner, Chris, has set up a GoFundMe page – we want to give something back to Darlington Memorial Hospital, particularly ITU, as a way of thanking them.

“It’s been a really scary time and I’m only 35 so I really want to encourage people to keep following the guidance to stay safely at home – that’s the best thing we can do to protect each other.”

A spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We’re delighted Sarah is making good progress and grateful to her and Chris for their support.

“Some patients with Covid-19 do require a long period of care but we’re pleased that, like Sarah, many patients are recovering and being discharged home to their families. We really are all in this together and we urge people to follow the guidance and stay at home.”