A GUISBOROUGH man has defied all odds and recovered from coronavirus after being hospitalised for nine weeks.

Dave Gaulter was reunited with his family on Monday after he was admitted to James Cook Hospital on March 26 with Covid-19.

Emma, Dave's wife, and Lydia, aged-five, Dave's daughter all contracted the disease with Emma and Lydia having mild symptoms.

Dave, 37, who is a English secondary school teacher in Whitby, spent three weeks and two days in ICU in an induced coma attached to a ventilator, where he needed dialysis as his kidneys had stopped functioning.

He then spent a further five weeks in a high dependency unit (HDU) with a tracheostomy.

The Northern Echo: Dave Gaulter with his wife Emma and daughter LydiaDave Gaulter with his wife Emma and daughter Lydia

On a Facebook post, Emma, who works at James Cook Hospital, said: "Last week his tracheostomy was removed and he was moved to a normal ward where he has gone from strength to strength, eventually having his oxygen support removed altogether.

"I can't even begin to describe the absolute hell that it has been. Not being able to with him whilst he was so poorly and also being on my own in lockdown with Lydia was absolutely heartbreaking.

"Living from one muffled phone-call to the next trying to understand what the staff were saying behind their PPE masks was unbelievably hard.

"At one point I was told he was unlikely to survive and they were taking things hour by hour, that was the longest night of my life. Thankfully he made a significant improvement."

The family have now set up a go fund me page to thank the staff at South Tees Hospital Trust.

They are hoping the funds will go towards a new garden so that ICU patients can spend time outside.

The Northern Echo: Dave Gaulter with staff from James Cook Hospital in MiddlesbroughDave Gaulter with staff from James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough

Dave said: "To say I am grateful to the staff at James Cook would be the biggest understatement possible. I have been in such a tenuous situation where my very life hung in the balance, and the skill and precision of the doctors and nurses has allowed me to be here today to tell my tale.

"The ordeal did not cease upon gaining consciousness, as the medication and trauma left me experiencing the most vivid and terrifying hallucinations, some of my worst fears were played out in front of my eyes and were, at the time, completely real to me.

"It was only through the support of staff at the HDU and also more so my wife that I was able to get through this.

"The staff on both ITU and HDU were nothing short of amazing - they are working under the most extreme conditions made even worse by the restrictions of Covid-19 and should be lauded for their efforts. To me the staff are not just fantastic, they are not just amazing, they are bona fide superheroes - because to deal with what they do on a daily basis and still maintain a positive manner, delivering exceptional care and support is nothing short of a super power!

"I shall for every future day of my life, remain indebted to every single member of staff who oversaw my care. Thank you is too shallow a phrase to encompass how I feel, however they were the only words I have - so thank you."

To donate go to https://gf.me/u/x6jdtm