Seeing Covid-19 from the Patients’ Side

 See the pandemic from the other side. Read about the patient experience of covid-19. Check our Patient Voices collection for a different perspective of the patient journey.

Birth stories during the covid-19 pandemic / Claire Roberts

“What was it really like for women giving birth during the Covid-19 Global Pandemic 2020 ? This collection of twenty-five Birth Stories has been written by the women who have given birth during the Covid-19 Global Pandemic. The stories are raw, personal, moving and very revealing experiences about what it has been like to give birth during these unprecedented times. The Global Covid-19 Pandemic 2020 has touched us all but for women giving birth during this time it has been particularly tough as social distancing and hospital visiting restrictions has had a significant impact on their birth experiences. During this pandemic Midwives and all Maternity Health Care Professionals have tried to make women feel as safe as possible, we have tried to strike a balance between taking all the necessary safety precautions from the coronavirus and at the same time provide a high standard of care and keep things as 'normal' as possible. Written by a Midwife working in a Consultant led Maternity Unit in West Wales, UK.”

Covid tale: a patient and a doctor / Rabin Chakraborty

“This is the tale of a senior cardiologist who, after being infected, spent close to a month in hospital battling the dreaded virus before finally recovering and returning home.
As the doctor monitors his progress as a patient day by day, the reader gets a unique glimpse into what is really happening within and without a Covid-assailed body. From decoding medical jargon like viraemia and hypoxia to addressing physiological and psychological wounds, this truly is an inside-out view of the virus.”

Many different kinds of love: a story of life, death and the NHS / Michael Rosen

“Michael Rosen wasn't feeling well. Soon he was struggling to breathe, and then he was admitted to hospital, suffering from coronavirus as the nation teetered on the edge of a global pandemic.

What followed was months on the wards: six weeks in an induced coma, and many more weeks of rehab and recovery as the NHS saved Michael's life, and then got him back on his feet. Throughout Michael's stay in intensive care, a notebook lay at the end of his bed, where the nurses who cared for him wrote letters of hope and support. Embarking on the long road to recovery, Michael was soon ready to start writing about his near-death experience.”

The power of hope / Kate Garraway

“In March 2020, Kate Garraway's husband, Derek Draper, contracted Covid-19 and was placed in a medically-induced coma. Initially, Kate was told that he would not survive. A year later he was still in hospital. Now at home but requiring round-the-clock care, he is thought to be the UK's longest-fighting Covid-19 patient.

In this intimate book, Kate shares her deeply personal story. As well as recounting how the illness took hold of their lives, she writes about how she is coping with the uncertainty of their future, how she's supporting her children through this traumatic time, how she has found strength in community and how she strives to hold on to hope even at the darkest of times. Covid-19 has affected everyone across the country in so many ways and Kate hopes that by revealing her own personal experience, it will give comfort to others. By sharing the lessons she has learnt along the way, it will help us all begin to try to re-build our lives.”

Ward nine: coronavirus – one woman’s story / Alys Morgan

“Alys Morgan was admitted to hospital on the 19th of April, with an unexplained sickness which had rendered her too weak to move. The next day she was diagnosed with Covid-19 - though staff understood her symptoms as little as the virus itself. This is one woman’s account of a pandemic no-one seemed prepared for - from the bed of a north-Wales hospital struggling to care for its multiplying patients. It’s a story of mothers and daughters, isolation and survival, love and loss. But most of all, it’s a testament to everything we owe those providing care and comfort on the new front line.”

You can browse the Patient Voices collection either online via Library Search or in person. The Patient Voices collection is near to the main glass doors at the Health Library.