A Southport woman has shared a photo of herself in the Critical Care Unit at Southport Hospital as she urged people to stay home this Easter during the coronavirus epidemic.
Jayne Sims has spoken of how scared she was while on a ventilator at Southport Hospital, and praised the NHS staff there for her incredible care.
But with warm weather forecast for this bank holiday weekend, Jayne is urging people to not go outside and stop the spread of Covid-19.
It follows yesterday’s news that 34 people with Covid-19 have now died at Southport Hospital and Ormskirk Hospital while there are now more than 300 confirmed coronavirus cases in Sefton.
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Jayne said: “I’m sharing this not at all glamorous photo of me from 2014 for a couple of reasons.
Firstly ,I think we’re coming up to a make or break weekend. Already, I have seen an increase in footfall in my road. The next few days are possibly going to be a real temptation for people to push the lockdown boundaries.
“Secondly, this picture was taken in the Southport Critical Care Unit. It’s local, it’s where you’ll go if you get Coronavirus. It’s first class, they will work so hard for you, their drive and compassion has no limits.
“So, in the picture I am on a ventilator. I have a hole in my throat which holds a tube which is attached to a machine that breathes for you. It is your lifeline. You learn to love it because it’s keeping you alive and to hate it because it stops you eating, talking, swallowing. You have to have the build-up of fluid sucked from your mouth, from your lungs. Regularly.Otherwise, you basically drown.
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“You feel incredibly scared and vulnerable. Adrenaline pumps as you try to ‘guard’ your own life. Night-times are the worst. Machines beep and buzz. Your head is full of nightmares.
I could see my nurses faces. I could build, over time, a rapport with them, a trust, which has never left me.
“If you go in today, you will not see their faces. You will not have the comfort of loved ones and friends at visiting time. What you hear happening around you will remind you every second that life is being fought for.And nothing is guaranteed.
“Stay at home, please. Don’t be tempted.
“I’m not looking for likes, or comments. I’m looking for shares. Because if what I’ve written can SAVE one life in my hometown, then it was worth it.”
“STAY HOME!
“( I love the NHS).”
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