Milton Keynes dad who almost died of Covid urges people to take the second wave seriously

Damion Brown was a fit and healthy warehouse manager before he came down with the virus in March.

He ran 15K a week and worked out regularly in the gym. But the virus hit him "like a ton of bricks", he said.

"I was in hospital for 11 days, struggling to breathe. All around me, people were dying of Covid, and at one point the doctors told me I had a 48 per cent chance of living. I can't describe how terrifying it was."

When Damion was finally discharged back to his Bletchley Park home, he assumed he would bounce back to health. But in fact, all these months on, he is still not fully recovered.

"They call it the long haul recovery. At first I was so weak that I could barely walk. My wife would cook me dinners and I couldn't eat them. My heart was racing at well over 100 beats a minute and for weeks and week afterwards and I was exhausted."

Even today, the dad-of-two suffers from chronic fatigue, sleep apnea and mood swings. He is still under a heart and lung specialist due to the damage the virus caused.

But this did not deter him from achieving his ambition this weekend - to climb Mount Snowdon to raise money for the Milton Keynes Hospital Charity.

"The care I received from Milton Keynes University Hospital saved my life and made all the difference, I'm one of the lucky ones, so many other families haven't been so lucky. The nurses, doctors and health care assistants and respiratory specialists all helped me through the toughest battle of my life, for that I'll be forever grateful," he said.

Climbing the mountain, post-Covid, was the toughest physical challenge Damion had ever completed.

"I won't lie, I struggled, but we made it to the top in a fairly impressive three hours 15 minutes. Six months ago I would not have thought it possible but through gritted teeth I came out the other side a better person, a more compassionate person and definitely a more determined person," he said.

Damion is scathing about the growing number of people who refuse to believe Covid is a problem and accuse the media and government of scaremongering.

"It angers me so much to see so many people not giving a crap about guideline and promoting others not to follow them. This is dangerous. How are we ever going to get out of this situation if we don't all stick together?

"Covid is no joke.It annoys me when people say it's just like a case of the flu. I was a fit and healthy person and yet it hit me like a ton of bricks. My health is still not back to normal today - that's how serious it is... Every person out there needs to take this seriously."

Damion's wife Catherine had a milder case at the same time, but she is also still suffering from fatigue symptoms, he said.

Damion's Snowdon climb has so far raised more than £1,300 through his GoFundMe page. You can donate here .