A nurse woke from a medically-induced coma while battling coronavirus to discover that his husband had been killed by the virus while he was unconscious.
Devastated David Courtney-Williams was struck with the Covid-19 virus in March and was left so weakened he could not walk.
His vocal cords were so damaged by the virus that he could not be understood when he spoke.
Medics placed the 49-year-old in to an induced-coma on March 27 – and he went under knowing that his husband, Steven Courtney-Williams, had no symptoms of the virus.
Tragically, Steven died six days later on April 3, aged 56, after contracting Covid-19.
Wales Online reports that David was devastated to awaken from his 14-day induced coma to learn his husband had died.
While the news was made all the more painful as strict Covid-related rules meant he had to be told the news over the phone and was banned from having anyone visit him to offer any form of comfort.
He said: "I just crumbled. It was just an empty feeling. I just couldn't process it at all.
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"I couldn't even hold the phone myself. I was so weak. I just remember thinking 'what do you mean Steven's gone?'.
"When I was taken in, Steven had no symptoms. He had his illnesses but to be told two weeks later when I woke up that he was gone, that was devastating.
"It's been difficult for the family too. They were devastated with Steve passing away and it was touch and go at one point too. I think they were preparing for a double.
"And then they had the stress of telling me Steve had gone too.”
David said his grieving process had to be put on hold as he had to focus on getting better himself after spending two weeks in the coma while being intubated.
His vocal chords were also damaged by the tube being removed, making communication over the phone difficult – which affected the efficiency of funeral arrangements.
While he says he still experiences numbness in his leg after having to learn to walk again once he woke up.
David is now back working at Singleton Hospital in Swansea where he serves as a charge nurse.
He said: “I’m back in work now on the ward on a phased return, once a week. Even just one day I get home and I'm shattered.
"I was a bit anxious going back to the ward but by 10 o'clock it was back to normal again – in a good way.”
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