Grandfather-of-six coronavirus patient, 69, nicknamed ‘Teflon Man’ by nurses after surviving weeks in intensive care was woken from coma and had no idea there was a pandemic, family reveal
- Brian Harvey was put into an induced coma with suspected pneumonia in March
- Staff at Bristol Royal Infirmary confirmed the 69-year-old actually had Covid-19
- His family say it was ‘heart-wrenching’ as they prepared to say goodbye
- But after six weeks he woke up, with no memory of the global pandemic
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
A coronavirus patient nicknamed the ‘Teflon man’ by nurses had to be told about the pandemic after waking from a six-week coma.
Grandfather-of-six Brian Harvey, 69, was admitted to Bristol Royal Infirmary in late March with what was thought to be pneumonia, but tests soon revealed he had caught Covid-19.
He was put into an induced coma before the diagnosis and daughter Faye Stapleton, 32, feared they may have to say goodbye while he was unconscious.
Brian Harvey at Bristol Royal Infirmary with nurses who nicknamed him the Teflon Man after he recovered from Covid-19 and woke up from a six-week coma with no memory of the pandemic
Instead the father-of-three kept on fighting and is now on his way back to full health – having been given the touching nickname ‘Teflon Man’ by hospital staff.
Mrs Stapleton said: ‘He didn’t even know about coronavirus when he woke up!
‘We had to explain to him that there was a virus out there, explain that everything was shut.
‘He FaceTimed everyone and they were all crying. He asked why, and they said: ‘We thought your name would never be coming up on our phone contacts again!’.
‘I don’t think any of the [nurses] thought he was going to make it.
‘The ICU nurse who saw him at the start said to him: ‘You’re made of strong stuff – you’re like Teflon’.
‘He’s having physio to walk again at the moment. His muscle mass has just gone from where he was led in the bed.
‘He’s back on his phone, posting on Facebook pages. He’s doing really well.’
Mr Harvery, from Headley Park, Bristol, was admitted into the Bristol Royal Infirmary on March 21. He was then induced into the coma a day later – meaning he was family didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye properly if the worst happened.
His daughter said: ‘Dad was in the coma for four weeks, and he didn’t respond for another week.
Brian Harvey was rushed to Bristol Royal Infirmary in March and placed in an induced coma the next day
‘We had a horrific phone call from the doctor, where they were going to send him for brain scans.
‘He was still on a ventilator when they tried to wake him up. It’s been heart-wrenching.
‘My parents have been married for more than 50 years. Mum was begging doctors to let her in when we were told dad might not make it through the night.
‘They’d never spent more than five nights apart. It feels like we have all been tortured through all this.
‘The hospital staff have been absolutely amazing – they saved my dad’s life. We can’t thank them enough. They just go above and beyond.’
Department of Health chiefs have yet to reveal the final toll, which is likely to be higher. The preliminary tally is calculated by adding up the individual counts of each of the home nations
The grandfather may have to stay in hospital for another six weeks, however, as he has picked up another infection on his heart.
But Mrs Stapleton said he appears to be back to his ‘normal self’ and could be out next week if he beats the latest illness.
Yesterday Mrs Stapleton delivered ten Samsung tablets to Bristol Royal Infirmary so families can keep in touch with loved ones on intensive care wards.
She said: ‘The nurses suggested we FaceTime Dad so he could hear familiar voices. We contacted him every day – and it kind of gave me the thought to raise money.
‘Luckily he had taken his phone, but what about other families who hadn’t taken theirs?
‘We’ve purchased ten tablets so far. We are hopefully going to get some more when they come back in stock.’