I am a GP based in South Manchester. Two weeks after my 40th birthday I sadly contracted severe covid-19 in March 2020. I am former ICU patient having spent 150days in hospital! The first two months I was intubated and in a medically induced coma. I had to have ECMO (Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation) treatment for 34days. This is the most superior form of life support. I have been told by my doctors and nurses that it is a miracle I survived.

The two big challenges I faced during my rehabilitation was gaining muscle strength so I could move my limbs and secondly the profound difficulty in swallowing. When I woke from sedation I had no voice and it was many weeks before I could commence oral intake as my laryngeal muscles were so weak due to the prolonged intubation and sedation.

The long ICU stay meant I had significant muscle wasting. The inability to move the limbs and the body in general, due to being fully sedated, can lead to significant generalised weakness. This leads to severe pain when the patient will start to mobilise.

These are the reasons I would like to help raise funds which will facilitate Wythenshawe Hospital Acute Intensive Care Unit to buy two pieces of equipment which will greatly enhance a critical care patient's rehabilitation.

Physiotherapists assess and treat the patients even when fully sedated. There is little if no evidence that a physiotherapist moving the patients’ limbs for few minutes a day is of much benefit. There is a machine called MotoMed Letto which can overcome this issue. The MotoMed Letto can be used to help patients who are constricted in a bed and can be used for hours, in bed. MotoMed Letto can move the patients’ limbs even when they are fully sedated. This will prevent stiffness and pain and improve muscle power when more activities are achievable,

The Phagenyx provides treatment for dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing). Dysphagia is a very common problem in patients who have had a prolonged intubation. This machine delivers optimal electrostimulation to the laryngeal muscles to help them gain strength to achieve early and effective swallowing