Mum-of-three from Cornwall has been battling long Covid for the past eight months
Helen says 'it felt like fighting something that wanted me dead’
Meet the mum-of-three from Cornwall who has been battling long Covid for the past eight months and says 'it felt like fighting something that wanted me dead’.
Helen Leon, 57, contracted Covid-19 at the end of March and eight months on is still suffering with chronic fatigue and breathlessness.
She was diagnosed with asthma as a child, but it had become milder in adulthood and was easily manageable with just two inhalers a year.
Since contracting the virus she has already worked her way through 13 inhalers and has had to put her career on hold due to asthma, fatigue and trauma.
She now has a stark warning to anyone who thinks the virus won’t affect them and chooses to ignore the government guidance around masks, hand-washing and social-distancing.
“This was the most terrifying experience I’ve ever had in my life,” said Helen, who has two grandchildren. “It felt like I was fighting something that just wanted me dead.
“I have nightmares about it, about seeing the people I love in hospital on ventilators, about having to say goodbye to someone in an oxygen mask on video link.
“This is reality for many people though and will continue to be if people carry on ignoring the rules. Put yourself in that position, is this what you want for your loved ones or someone else’s loved ones?
“I would say to people ‘wear a mask, wash your hands and keep your distance’. You just don’t know what it can be like. It’s not just the elderly and the vulnerable who are at risk - this can be lethal for anyone.”
Helen said her ordeal began on March 26th when she began to develop symptoms.
Having heard about the threat posed to people with underlying health conditions, she had already chosen to self-isolate at a smallholding owned by her dad in Mevagissey. Her husband Glen, 64, has diabetes and is on stroke prevention medication.
“I woke up at 5am with a high temperature on my front and back and I knew straight away that something was really wrong,” she said. “I was just glad I’d managed to get myself away from home in time to protect my husband.
“I felt really frightened and isolated, but people were saying that I’d probably be ill for a week and that for most people it’s not that bad.”
A local volunteer left paracetamol and supplies for Helen at the bottom of the driveway, and she was hopeful the illness might pass relatively quickly.
“To start with it didn’t feel too bad – it’s a slow starter,” said Helen, who has three grown-up children, Daniel, 30, Zachary, 28, and Catherine, 27.
“Then I started to feel feverish at night and would feel breathless, like the bottom of my lungs were filling up. About five days in I was having cytokine storms when the immune system goes into overdrive.
“It was horrific and intensely frightening. It felt like I was fighting to survive.”
By Easter Monday Helen found herself barely able to breathe and rang 111, was assessed and an ambulance was sent out.
“I knew I was in trouble; it was incredibly scary,” she said. “I was asked to make a call to my family at 1am in case I had to go into ICU and that was a really horrible moment.”
Luckily her condition began to improve, and she did not need to be admitted to hospital, which came as a huge relief.
Having fought the virus alone for three weeks, she decided to head home for an emotional –and socially-distanced - reunion with her husband.
“It was lovely to be home, but I just didn’t get better,” said Helen. “I’ve never been ill like that in my life. I could barely walk. I didn’t understand why this was happening, why I was so ill.”
The asthma and fatigue meant she struggled to walk around her local park and she often felt close to collapse. On April 18 she had to call 111 again, and again an ambulance was sent out following an assessment.
Her doctor told her she may be suffering with a form of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and she began undergoing counselling.
“Having Covid-19 and now long Covid has had a huge effect on my life. This virus is not something that you want to give to people.
“My husband has been wonderful, and my family have been brilliant but to see the effect on them has been very hard. To see my eldest son, who is a toughie, crying down the phone because he was so upset by what he was seeing was a very hard moment. To have my daughter helping me with chest percussion to ease lung congestion, and my second son so worried for me and for his dad has been so hard. They are all being so careful around others and I am so proud of them.
“Now with a vaccine on the horizon there’s hope that we won’t have to live like this forever but in the meantime it’s about being careful and loving and looking after each other.
“Anyone who thinks this virus isn’t serious is mistaken; it can affect anybody, and it’s very easily transmitted. If you really care about the people around, you then be very careful about transmission and do everything you are being asked to do. We need to get this virus under control as it’s having a horrible effect on a lot of people.”
Cllr Sally Hawken, Cornwall Council’s Portfolio Holder for Children, Wellbeing and Public Health, who represents Liskeard East, said:
“I’d like to thank Helen for speaking out about her experience and hope her words will make more people stick to the rules and help put the brakes on the increasing case numbers we’re seeing in Cornwall, particularly in the east and north east of the county. It’s also a stark reminder that this virus can affect anyone and have a potentially long-term impact on your health.
“The simple fact is that Covid-19 can be transmitted very easily and is moving from family to family, and household to household, incredibly quickly. If more people follow the government guidance while both out and about and at home, we can get the virus under control.
“That means social distancing, wearing a face covering, and washing your hands regularly. And if you test positive or have any of the key symptoms – a new and continuous cough, a high temperature or a change in taste or smell – you must immediately self-isolate. As Helen said, by looking out for one another we can beat the virus in Cornwall.”