Coronavirus: Leicester survivor learning to walk again

A man who nearly died from coronavirus is learning to walk again after spending two months in hospital.

Kully Singh Sidki, 44, from Leicester, returned home on Wednesday - weeks after his family were told to prepare for the worst.

He has spent the last two weeks undergoing rehabilitation at a community hospital.

Mr Singh Sidki said he knows of four people from his community that have died from the virus and feels "lucky".

After collapsing at home, Mr Singh Sidki was admitted to the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

He was later moved to Glenfield Hospital where he was put on a ventilator and his condition became critical.

Once his condition improved, Mr Singh Sidki was moved to Coalville Community Hospital where he started learning to walk again.

The father-of-two said he also developed sepsis and lost two-and-a-half stone while battling the virus.

"Anyone that goes and stays in intensive care, they get muscle mass loss - I was in there for nearly five weeks so it was pretty bad," he said.

He started using a walking frame and has now progressed on to crutches.

He said: "Sometimes you forget [you can't walk] when you get out of bed in the morning - I forget and nearly lose balance."

Maria Warden, ward sister at Coalville, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "A lot of patients have been lying in a bed for weeks, they have become deconditioned, just sitting in a chair is a massive mountain for them to climb after what they have been through.

"The feeling when a patient goes home is amazing. It is what we became nurses for."

On Wednesday Mr Singh Sidki was finally reunited with his wife Uma and two boys Aryan and Yuvraj.

Mr Singh Sidki added he knows of four people within his Indian community that have lost their lives after testing positive for Covid-19.

"I do feel lucky. I managed to pull through but I do feel for those that haven't and for their families - it must be awful," he said.

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