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Coronavirus: 94-year-old ‘super gran’ returns home after spending 10 days in hospital

Toby Basil/PA Wire
Toby Basil/PA Wire

A 94-year-old woman has returned home from hospital after suffering from the coronavirus, dubbed by her family as “super gran”.

Joy, a retired nurse, returned to her residential home in Beccles, Suffolk on Sunday 29 March after spending 10 days being treated at James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston, Norfolk.

She spoke to her 43-year-old grandson Toby Basil after being discharged, who described her as “absolutely incredible”.

“We’ve always called her super gran because she’s so resilient,” said supermarket worker Mr Basil.

“When I phoned her the night she came out, I asked her about the hospital and how it had been and she said ‘everybody was wonderful’.”

Mr Basil recalled how his grandmother said that “from the very top to the very bottom, all the staff were fantastic, hard-working, friendly, obviously very cautious with all the rules and social distancing as much as possible in their environment”.

“Every effort was made to make sure she was comfortable, happy and well looked after,” he stated.

“She said you couldn’t fault them, they were amazing. All these wonderful nurses putting themselves at risk to help others, she said they’re amazing, they’re absolutely wonderful people.”

Mr Basil, who lives in Leiston, Suffolk, said that his grandmother was taken to hospital by hospital after calling 111.

Undated family handout photo of retired nurse Joy, 94, who is back at her residential home in Beccles, Suffolk after being treated at hospital for coronavirus (Toby Basil/PA Wire)
Undated family handout photo of retired nurse Joy, 94, who is back at her residential home in Beccles, Suffolk after being treated at hospital for coronavirus (Toby Basil/PA Wire)

After experiencing breathing difficulties, Joy was found to have a temperature and tested positive for Covid-19 and pneumonia.

Mr Basil added that while she has returned home and he believes she has “beaten” the infection, she is still displaying mild symptoms.

While Joy has been advised to self-isolate for seven days, she has chosen to self-isolate for the longer period of 14 days as a safety precaution.

“She still has a temperature, a very mild temperature, but she’s feeling energetic, very chirpy on the phone, she sounds like her usual self to me on the phone,” Mr Basil said.

“Within herself, she felt like there was no need to be in the hospital and she said she needed to get home so that somebody else could have her bed.

“They were obviously happy to send her home otherwise they wouldn’t have even thought about it.”

Mr Basil said that the hospital workers and his grandmother believe “she’s out of the danger zone”.

“I’ve remained quite optimistic all the way through really and I’m happy she’s home now as she’s out of the hospital environment where she possibly could contract it again.”

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