Blackpool dad on road to recovery after winning battle against Covid-19

Adam Fishwick, 30, a self-employed service engineer from Knowsley Avenue, Blackpool, was taken to Blackpool Vic by ambulance on January 7 when his Covid symptoms became severe.

Adam's fiance Hayley Sharples, 28, and their two children Owen, six, and Olivia, four, spent an agonising month without him as he fought for his life on a ventilator in Blackpool Vic's intensive care unit (ICU).

Hayley, a care assistant, had no idea what the future held for Adam, as she rang the hospital every day for updates on his condition.

But on the morning of Sunday February 7, Hayley received the news she had been praying for - that medics had managed to give Adam a tracheostomy, enabling them to finally wake him up from his sedation.

A tracheostomy is a procedure that involves creating an opening in the neck in order to place a tube into the windpipe. The tube is inserted through a cut in the neck below the vocal cords, to allow air to enter the lungs.

Today (February 22) marks a monumental moment in the young dad's battle against Covid, as he moves onto a ward in preparation for returning home to his family.

"It was just such a relief after so much waiting," Hayley said.

"We knew Adam wasn't quite out of the woods at that moment but the tracheostomy was the next step to getting him better.

"When it got to that point, and every day he was getting better, I was so relieved. They took the tracheostomy out on Friday (February 19) and it was just amazing."

Adam had tested positive for the virus on December 30, but Hayley said he only had a mild cough during the week leading up to his hospital admission.

However, the night before Hayley rang an ambulance, Adam had begun to act "strangely," making little sense in conversation, she explained.

The next morning, he had nearly collapsed while struggling to breathe.

The dad-of-two spent a month in the Vic's ICU, before being moved to the high dependency unit (HDU) on February 7.

He hasn't seen his family in person since, and spent his 30th birthday on a ventilator.

But today Adam will be transferred to a ward, and is even able to walk with a frame and the help of physiotherapists.

He no longer needs a ventilator or tracheostomy, and can finally speak to his fiance and children every day.

"Everything has been coming thick and fast the past few days," Hayley continued.

"He wasn't able to eat without a feeding tube but now he can eat without it, and then they took the tracheostomy out and he didn't need a ventilator anymore.

"That was a massive thing. That's the thing that had been keeping him alive all this time, and he doesn't need it anymore.

"As much as he has a long road ahead, it was an amazing feeling."

During his fight against the virus, a fundraiser was set up for Hayley, Owen and Olivia to alleviate the financial pressures of losing Adam's income and Hayley's time off work.

Over £4,000 was raised for the family, which Hayley said would be set aside to prepare financially for Adam's recovery at home.