A school IT worker is one of Britain’s longest suffering Covid-19 patients after he was admitted to hospital March – as his wife says his battle for survival has been ‘nothing short of miraculous’.
Jason Kelk, 49, was admitted to St James’ Hospital in Leeds on March 31 – a day after Kate Garraway‘s husband Derek Draper – but was rushed into the hospital’s intensive care unit on April 3.
Nine months on the step-father remains in ICU, after Covid-19 severely damaged his lungs and kidneys, leaving him dependent on a ventilator and a round-the-clock kidney filter.
Doctors have told his wife Sue, 63, he is one of only a handful of people in the country who have been battling the effects of coronavirus for so long.
The mother-of-five, who lives in Seacroft, Leeds, said: ‘It’s nothing short of miraculous that Jason is still here. It just shows his strength of character and his will to live.
‘It shows his will to come home to me and his family.’
IT worker Jason Kelk was admitted to St James’ Hospital in Leeds on March 31. Three days later he was moved to the intensive care unit, where he has spent the last nine months
Mr Kelk, who has type two diabetes and mild asthma, became breathless on March 28 after struggling with a cough.
He was given antibiotics but his condition continued to worsen and his wife called for an ambulance on Tuesday, March 31.
She said: ‘The paramedics found his oxygen saturation was lower than they would like and they took him to the hospital but said he would probably be sent home soon.
‘His cough wasn’t a new cough and he didn’t have fever so he didn’t really have any of the symptoms. We didn’t think of Covid.
‘Even when the Covid swab came back positive the following night I still thought he’d be coming home.’
Three days later his condition began to deteriorate and he was moved to ICU on April 3, where he has remained ever since.
Sue Kelk says it is ‘nothing short of miraculous,’ that her husband is still alive after a nine-month battle with Covid-19
Mr Kelk was admitted to hospital a day after Derek Draper – the husband of Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway. The ITV host’s worries about her husband’s condition are said to be ‘eating her alive’
Following his admittance to ICU, his oxygen levels dropped dangerously low and he was placed on a ventilator and sedated for the next four weeks – regularly being moved into a ‘prone’ position on his front to increase oxygen to his lungs.
Former nurse Mrs Kelk said: ‘They tried to get him on a mask during the day and off the ventilator. They managed it for 23 hours but he was so tired it had to be abandoned.’
Her husband’s kidneys have also been seriously affected and he is on a kidney filter 24 hours a day, seven days a week – something that can only be managed in ICU.
In addition, Jason has developed suspected diabetic gasteroparesis – where his stomach nerves don’t function properly – and has to be fed intravenously; however, he is too poorly for this to be medically investigated at the moment.
Mrs Kelk remains in awe of how much her husband, who is a step-father to her children, has battled through.
She said: ‘The fact he has fought through all of it is absolutely incredible. I’m so proud of him.’
The last time Mr Kelk ventured outdoors was on December 12, while the couple were able to meet on Boxing Day.
Speaking about his latest trip outside, his wife said: ‘It was very spontaneous – they had enough staff so they were able to take him out. I was facetiming him as he went – if you had seen that man smile.
‘Even though it was cold and wet, it was fantastic.’
She added: ‘Just touching Jason is fantastic and to be able to hold his hand is a tonic.
‘It’s been really hard – I’ve struggled every day. Jason being in ICU for so long is very, very rare.
‘I didn’t realise how strong a character Jason was. I just wish I had hugged him more. Not before he went into the ambulance but throughout our relationship.
‘Because now I can’t and that’s really hard.’
During his battle with Covid-19, Mr Kelk, pictured with wife Sue and her daughter Claire, has become dependent on a ventilator as well as a round-the-clock kidney filter
Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway has previously spoken about her husband’s battle with Covid-19, which is also in its ninth month.
Speaking on GMB on December 17, the mother-of-two said it was her ‘dream,’ for her and her two children to ‘see Derek on Christmas Day in some way.
‘The challenges of that are we have to stay really safe in order to visit him and isolate.’
Last month it was reported that Kate is in a state of uncertainty over whether or not Derek will be discharged from hospital after spending most of this year in intensive care with the potentially life-threatening virus.
Mother-of-five Sue Kelk said: ‘I didn’t realise how strong a character Jason was. I just wish I had hugged him more. Because now I can’t and that’s really hard’. The couple were able to speak most recently on Boxing Day
Speaking to Closer, weather presenter Clare Nazir – a close friend of the Good Morning Britain host – claims the lack of absolutes regarding her stricken husband’s health is ‘eating her alive.’
She said: ‘Kate is a warrior and she’ll do what she has to do to get through this. This is someone who isn’t fazed by interviewing the Prime Minister or victims of child abuse, because she can relate to everybody and has the mental capacity to cope.
‘She’s incredibly resilient. Some people would’ve crumbled by now, but this is going to make her stronger.’
She added: ‘Her priority is to keep her kids’ lives as normal as possible. The uncertainty eats her alive, but she doesn’t want that to transition to them.’