THERE may be a lot of doom and gloom around at the moment, but these six inspirational people are proof that coronavirus can be beaten.
We’ve scoured the news from our sister papers across the country to bring you uplifting human stories of survival - some very much against the odds.
It could be a while until the UK sees the back of Covid-19, but we hope these stories can bring a glimmer of hope in these dark times.
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A poetic experience - beating coronavirus while battling cancer
AN elderly couple, both with underlying health conditions, are well on the road to recovery having contracted coronavirus.
John and Jenny Hilton, from York, are both in their seventies and have been battling cancer in the last year.
John was part way through a course of chemotherapy for prostate cancer when he was taken to York Hospital after his white blood cell count became low.
While in hospital, he was routinely tested for the virus - and the results came back positive.
Jenny, who was herself treated for breast cancer 11 years ago and, since five years ago, has been on herceptin injections to keep secondary breast cancer at bay, was never tested for the virus.
But she experienced strange symptoms while at home alone when John was in hospital, including sickness and diarrhoea. She also collapsed twice. She says a nurse told her it was very likely that she, too, had the condition.
Having both recovered, Jenny composed a poem - an 'ode to coronavirus', which goes a little something like this:
"Coronavirus has hit the UK, in our homes we all must stay.
"Hubby and I got it early on, will feel happier when it has gone.
"We spend our days watching rubbish TV, not used to always being ‘him and me’.
"We pop Paracetamols every four hours, then walk in the garden to admire the flowers.
"Doing colouring books, reading papers and such, didn’t realize simple things could mean so much."
The pair have no idea how they contracted the virus. "We haven't been abroad, we haven't been in touch with anybody who went abroad. We just don't know."
They are now self-isolating at home as their recovery continues. "We have an enclosed garden, and we walk around that every day for a bit of fresh air," Jenny said.
She is full of praise for the health service. "They have been absolutely wonderful, everyone who has helped us."
Her neighbours had also been 'brilliant', she added. "Our next door neighbour was bringing us meals!"
In fact, the virus had helped bring everyone together, she said.
"We live in a little cul-de-sac, and we know everybody. Everybody knows everybody now!"
‘I thought I was going to die – people must heed government advice’
A YOUNG man who feared he would die after contracting coronavirus and ended up in intensive care has spoken of his battle to overcome the disease.
Despite his terrifying ordeal, Faiz Ilyas, 24, who lives near Bradford, is now on the road to recovery and has spoken of his experience.
Mr Ilyas, who studies civil and structural engineering at Bradford University and who works part time as a taxi driver, returned home on the evening of March 15 with an extremely high temperature.
As others in his household were also feeling unwell, they all went into isolation, with his grandma moving to his auntie’s house to keep her safe.
But the following Thursday, the situation began to worsen for Mr Ilyas and his father and an ambulance was called.
Paramedics decided his father should go to hospital. He stayed there for three days, but was sent home to manage his symptoms after his test came back negative for Covid-19.
During that time, Mr Ilyas was getting worse - it was difficult for him to breathe, his temperature was high and he was hallucinating.
Mr Ilyas said of his care: “The nurses and the doctors and everyone in there were fantastic. Everything I needed help with, they would help me and take care of me.
“They were absolute legends. They were so nice.”
He spent five days in ICU before he was transferred back a non-critical ward at the Bradford Royal Infirmary.
His cousin and grandma were also struck down, but are also recuperating after hospital stays.
Mr Ilyas said there were “definitely moments I thought I was going to die”.
Now he’s back home with his family, but is urging people to take coronavirus seriously, particularly as more and more cases emerge of people battling the illness.
He added: “This is a very serious pandemic.
“I would like to urge people to really follow the Government and NHS advice - stay at home and stay safe.
“It’s so important that people understand that.”
‘Even in dark times, there is always light and hope’
Scottish Minister Nicola Sturgeon paid tribute to a 98-year-old Scottish woman who overcame coronavirus.
Daphne Shah, from Perthshire, was hospitalised and tested positive for Covid-19 and is now at home safe and well.
Mrs Sturgeon said Shah's story is an "inspiring and very welcome good news story, but also a reminder that even in dark times, there is always light and hope".
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Coronavirus is no match for ‘super gran’
A 94-year-old woman who is known by her family as "super gran" has recovered from coronavirus after 10 days in hospital.
Retired nurse Joy, whose family asked not to use her surname, praised NHS staff as she returned to her residential home.
The 94-year-old, who until recently practiced yoga, can still touch her toes even at her ripe old age.
Her 43-year-old grandson Toby Basil described her as "absolutely incredible", adding: "We've always called her super gran because she's so resilient."
He spoke to her after she was discharged from the James Paget University Hospital in Norfolk on Sunday.
"When I phoned her the night she came out, I asked her about the hospital and how it had been and she said 'everybody was wonderful'," said Mr Basil, who works in a supermarket.
"She said that from the very top to the very bottom, all the staff were fantastic, hard-working, friendly, obviously very cautious with all the rules and social distancing as much as possible in their environment.
"Every effort was made to make sure she was comfortable, happy and well looked after.
"She said you couldn't fault them, they were amazing.
"All these wonderful nurses putting themselves at risk to help others, she said they're amazing, they're absolutely wonderful people."
Mr Basil, who lives in Leiston in Suffolk, said that Joy, who lives in Beccles, Suffolk, was taken to hospital by ambulance after she experienced breathing difficulties and dialled 111.
He said she had a temperature and tested positive for coronavirus and pneumonia.
She still has some mild symptoms but has recovered, Mr Basil said, and she has been advised to self-isolate for seven days as a precaution.
He said she has "taken it upon herself" to self-isolate for 14 days instead.
"She still has a temperature, a very mild temperature, but she's feeling energetic, very chirpy on the phone, she sounds like her usual self to me on the phone," he said.
"I would say she's beaten it.
"Within herself, she felt like there was no need to be in the hospital and she said she needed to get home so that somebody else could have her bed.
"They were obviously happy to send her home otherwise they wouldn't have even thought about it.
"They believe she's out of the danger zone, she believes she's out of the danger zone, I've remained quite optimistic all the way through really and I'm happy that she's home now as she's out of the hospital environment where she possibly could contract it again."
He said Joy did yoga regularly until recently and can still touch her toes.
He said she runs the video club at her residential home and loves to help people.
"She's just an outstanding woman," he said.
"They just don't build them like that any more. She just seems to be able to bounce back off these things and come back stronger, even at 94."
Virus proves no match for ‘trailblazing’ war hero
Jack Bowden (left) with son Mark. Picture: SWNS
A WW2 hero aged 98 is one of the oldest Briton to survive COVID-19 - after recovering less than a week after being diagnosed.
Great-grandfather Jack Bowden was discharged from hospital just three days after testing positive for the killer coronavirus.
The former pharmacist - who worked on vital production of Penicillin during the Second Word War - tested positive last after being taking ill with a water infection.
But amazingly the former Royal Navy petty officer was to return to the care home in Bolton, Gtr Manchester, where he lives.
And Mr Bowden's youngest son Mark, 58, said he even wrote a goodbye letter when doctors told him that his father had tested positive for the life-threatening illness.
He said: "I thought I'd never see him again. I wrote him a lovely letter and within an hour he rang me and said 'I think I've got the real thing'."But by Friday, the nurses said he's doing amazing and just had a mild chest infection."
Medics at the Royal Bolton Hospital decided that Mr Bowden was better off isolating in his care home rather than on the ward which posed a risk of infection.
Mark said he was due to visit his father in his care home last Monday (March 16) but was told by staff that his father had taken ill during the night so he could not receive a visit.
Doctors became concerned when Mr Bowden became confused and disorientated but he was treated for a suspected water infection and began to improve.
Medics at the hospital tested him for coronavirus and the results came back positive on Wednesday.
Mark added: "The water infection itself kills most people his age but they were preparing to discharge him for that until the COVID-19 test came back positive.
"He got a nurse to call me to say he wanted his mobile phone so I knew he was feeling better.
"They discharged him on Friday night but he could only leave on Saturday morning once the care home had put measures in place to cope with his return.
"We don't think he's fully out of the woods yet as he still has a chest infection and it has left him with a cough.
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"But he is sat up in his chair, he's comfortable and he is well on the way to recovery. I'm pretty sure he has passed the infectious stage.
"The consultant even wants to use him as a case study."
Mr Bowden, who was born in May 1921, trained as a pharmacist and worked on production of Penicillin to treat injured soldiers during World War Two.
On D-Day he was based at Portsmouth giving blood transfusions to servicemen returning injured from France.
Mark added: "He helped to make and produce Penicillin back then and now 80 years later, he's being used a case study to help fight this infectious disease.
"He was a trailblazer back then and he's a trailblazer now."
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