Caption: Recovered COVID-19 patient Paul with some members of the treating ICU team, Alissa Riley, RN (left) and Dr Pula Matabele, ICU Consultant (right).

When Paul Mahony left TPCH’s intensive care unit after 45 days, he was completely unaware of how close he had come to never seeing his wife of 43 years again, and of all the people who had made their reunion possible.

The recovered COVID-19 patient was originally admitted as a virtual patient to TPCH’s Infectious Diseases unit in March after falling seriously ill following his return home from a two-week cruise.

After being advised to isolate from his wife in their Clontarf home, Paul’s temperature rose and he was subsequently transferred to TPCH where he was placed into a coma for four weeks. ICU Director Dr Jayshree Lavana said that Paul was the ICU’s index case and there was some justified anxiety around his care and clinical prognosis.

“At that time, 50 per cent of overseas ICU COVID-19 patients were not surviving. The ICU team was prepared for caring for COVID-19 patients however it was an awakening that we were now well and truly part of the pandemic,” Dr Lavana said.

“An ‘up and down’ trajectory during a critically ill patient’s ICU stay is not uncommon. Paul’s condition mirrored this, but the situation was made even more challenging because we were dealing with such a novel and infectious disease.

“For clinicians, it was navigating through uncharted territory with this new disease process with large amounts of information coming in rapidly. For Paul’s family, hospital visitor restrictions and isolation requirements meant his wife Robyn had to stay at home and she was unable to visit Paul.”

Robyn said it was terrible not being able to be with Paul when he was so sick, the separation made worse by their 43rd wedding anniversary occurring during that time. The ICU team phoned Robyn three times a day to keep her up to date on Paul’s condition.

After her 23-day isolation period, Robyn could finally come to the ICU, but only to view her husband through a window. At five days into Paul’s ICU admission, doctors told Robyn that there was a chance that Paul may not survive, due to his severe lung disease.

However, within three weeks, Paul’s condition improved and he was discharged to Ward 1E for rehabilitation. Paul relearned how to swallow and walk. Robyn and Paul were reunited in person for the first time in almost 50 days.

While Paul does not remember most of his stay at TPCH, he has nothing but praise for all the staff at TPCH who took care of him during his illness.

“I am so thankful to everyone. All the staff in ICU, the Infectious Diseases Ward and the RAS Unit. Without them, I wouldn’t be here today. They are all wonderful,” Paul said.