My birthday was on 12 Feb and I had my first covid jab after shielding for a year. I had been feeling a bit short of breath on 14 Feb, so I came into hospital and tested positive for covid. I was then put into an induced coma and as far as I know I was in the coma for 5 weeks. I don’t have any recollection, but I was told that I died twice and staff here saved my life.

One thing that I do remember is when nurses put the phone to my ear and my daughter Jessica was on the other end. She said to me ‘Mum, you’ve got to fight this, we can’t lose you’. And that stuck in my brain and got me through - my love for my children.

When I woke from the coma I had a feeding tube and was attached to so many machines. I was really poorly. And then as I got better and everything was taken off, I couldn't speak- the nurses had to lipread. I also thought that I would never walk again, but thanks to the Physiotherapists who have been absolutely amazing, I can now walk unaided.

The journey has been long and hard but I’ve got such a positive attitude and I’m determined to get better for my kids and my grandchildren.

I’m planning to walk 5km’s for Southampton Hospitals Charity to give back. If it wasn’t for everybody here, I wouldn’t be here and nothing that I can do will be enough to say thank you. I want to thank all the staff at UHS from the bottom of my heart, they are like my family now. Everyone, from the doctors, nurses, physios, technicians, speech therapists, tracheostomy teams, kitchen staff and health care assistants have all been so wonderful to me and nothing is ever too much.