Cured by love: Childhood sweethearts in their 60s recover from coronavirus after being moved to hospital beds next to each other which improved their conditions
- Michael and Mary Blessington were both taken to Bradford Infirmary on April 25
- Michael was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, while Mary has asthma issues
- The couple were found to have low oxygen levels and treated on separate wards
- The Blessington’s eldest son, Craig, pleaded with hospital to treat them together
- They were eventually given adjacent beds, prompting an upturn in their fortunes
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
A couple in their 60s are recovering from coronavirus after their conditions dramatically improved when their hospital beds were moved next to each other.
Michael David Blessington, 68, who has recently been diagnosed with lung cancer, and his wife, Mary, 67, who struggles with asthma, were both admitted to Bradford Royal Infirmary within hours of one another on April 25.
The pair, who first met when they were just 13, both had low oxygen levels upon their arrival at the hospital. Michael’s condition deteriorated to such an extent that he was asked by staff if he wanted to be resuscitated in the event his heart stopped.
Michael and Mary Blessington have made a dramatic recovery together from coronavirus
The couple were taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary within hours of each other on April 25
The pair were initially separated but decision to treat them side by side has aided their battle
He told the BBC: ‘At first I said, ‘If I’m going to get bad with this and there’s no way out of it, then by all means…’. ‘But after, when I spoke to Mary, she said, ‘You don’t say that,’ and I changed my mind.’
‘I told him he wasn’t leaving me that quickly,’ Mary says, though she also admitted to asking doctors to ‘give me an injection to let me die’ on her first night at the hospital after being floored by the virus.
Initially, the couple were sent for treatment on separate wards, Michael on ward 29 and Mary on ward 23, despite pleas from their eldest son Craig to treat them together.
He added: ‘They haven’t been apart since they were 13. They’d do anything for each other, they’re always together. On their holidays Dad fishes and Mum sits with him and reads. Dad is full of tattoos and is a real character, but their relationship is unique.’
Eventually, the hospital were able to cater for Craig’s wishes and the Blessingtons were moved to adjacent beds on ward 29.
Craig believes the the move gave his parents a morale boost and helped his father to make an astonishing recovery after a bleak initial prognosis.
‘We think that was the turning point for Dad – he’d been so ill we thought he would die. He was grey, couldn’t breathe and was getting worse. When they moved him and Mum together that was the turning point. You could see it from there, for Dad definitely.’
While the couple both remain in hospital, Michael has been hailed as one of the ward’s ‘triumphs’ by Dr John Wright, who has witnessed their recovery first hand, and hopes Mary ‘will soon be too’.
The pair have come through a troubled year, which saw their middle son, Paul, die in February, prior to Michael’s diagnosis with lung cancer.
But they are now hopeful of making a full recovery from the virus before celebrating their 48th wedding anniversary in September.