Portsmouth doctor who spent 36 days in coronavirus coma was given 'hours to live'

The family of Manuel Vidal, 59 from Copnor, were left fearing he wouldn’t make it, with staff at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham giving him just hours to live.

Manuel has been working as bank staff at QA – as a healthcare support worker – where he then caught coronavirus too.

With underlying health problems, he spent 36 days in a coma and nurses were concerned that he wouldn’t survive the ordeal.

Now free from the virus and recovering at the hospital, his wife Emily, a nurse herself, has told The News about her family’s experiences.

In what has been a troubled time, she says the family’s faith in God has helped to see them through.

Emily said: ‘Manuel started feeling unwell on March 10, when he was on the night shift.

‘We self-isolated for a week but he kept deteriorating, so went into hospital seven days later.

‘At one point he was given just hours left to live, it was terrifying.’

Manuel and Emily moved to Portsmouth in the early 2000s, having both trained as healthcare professionals in the Philippines.

Two days after taken to QA by an ambulance, the trained doctor was moved to the intensive care unit, put on a ventilator and placed in an induced coma.

Family cannot visit coronavirus patients in hospital, so Emily and her three children relied on phone calls from the hospital for updates.

This led to restless nights as Emily and children Troy, 13, and Clarisse, 22, often found their thoughts wandering.

With their other son David, 24, living away from home, it was a stressful time for the whole family.

‘It’s so difficult to explain to your children what's going on, and what could happen,’ Emily said.

‘Things have been very tough – there were times when we didn’t think he was going to make it.

‘Every time my phone rang I was scared of what the news would be.’

Thankfully, Manuel is on the road to recovery, though there's no way of knowing exactly when he will be home.

Emily, who has been married to Manuel for 24 years, has thanked QA Hospital’s NHS heroes, and God, for saving his life.

She said: ‘We’re so thankful to everyone at the hospital. They saved his life.

‘As a family we cannot thank the team at the Intensive Care Unit enough, for all they have done and continue to do for my husband.

‘I can’t wait to have him home once he’s back to full health.

‘We are part of Portsmouth Family Church and we have been praying as a church community for almost two months now – we know what healing God has done and continues to do in Manuel is a miracle.’

With Emily taking time off work to look after Manuel once he returns home, she has set up a fundraiser to keep the family afloat.

The fundraiser has made more than £1,400 so far.

To donate, people can go to gofundme.com/f/manuel-and-family-recovery-fund.

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