Father's joy at being clapped out of hospital to spend birthday with his sons

Khurram Khan lost his own father to the coronavirus just two weeks before he began to feel ill, and was admitted to Bradford Royal Infirmary after his wife called 999.

Three weeks on, clapped out by hospital staff who lined the concourse to wish him well, he has been reunited with his two young sons Aaron, 11, and Rayaan, aged two.

His wife Kullerz, waiting in the sunshine as he bid an emotional farewell to the staff that cared for him, described them only as their "angels".

“I feel like I’ve got a new lease of life – I literally feel like I’m born again,” said Mr Khan.

“I don’t have the words to thank the staff for how they’ve taken care of me, words don’t explain it.”

Mr Khan, of Clayton, had fallen ill in April. Struggling to breath, he was taken initially to A&E before being moved to intensive care after a scan showed blood clots on his lungs.

He was given oxygen through a machine known as a CPAP, but after just three days his condition had deteriorated to the point where he needed a ventilator.

To aid his treatment, doctors had performed a tracheostomy, allowing a tube to be inserted into his windpipe to help him breathe, but this meant that when he awoke from his coma he had to communicate by writing on a white board as he couldn’t speak.

Mr Khan is the first COVID-19 patient at Bradford Teaching Hospitals who has been able to go straight home from ICU, rather than having to spend further time recovering on a ward.

He turned 38 on May 11, and was able to go home two days before enabling him to celebrate his birthday with family.

Communities' prayers

Throughout his time in hospital Mr Khan's brother Faisal had called on communities to pray for his recovery through social media, and on waking the father had been astonished to find so many people had supported the call.

“I’m a very positive person and I’ve got through this because of the fantastic care from the NHS and my wife, family and the support of people who love me," said Mr Khan.

"I’ve got so much living to do and am so grateful to everyone."

Chief executive of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Mel Pickup, said: “Even in the darkest days of the pandemic there have still been so many stories of amazing recoveries and hope – and Khurram’s is certainly one of those.

"Our staff have been in awe of his recovery and his zest for life, it was simply wonderful to see him go home with his family.”

So far, over 390 COVID-19 patients have returned home from Bradford Teaching Hospitals.

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