Coronavirus patient leaves Eastbourne District Hospital ICU

NHS staff cheered and clapped as Steve Honeyball, from Polegate, was wheeled out of Eastbourne District Hospital’s ICU.

They had been by his side through his “darkest hours”.

Steve’s time in critical care was the longest of any patient at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust recovering from coronavirus.

He is still recuperating outside intensive care. He said: “I can’t express my thanks enough to the amazing doctors, nurses and physiotherapists who kept me alive with their skill and dedication.

“They showed me such love and care in my recovery and gave me the determination to get better.

“I look forward to meeting the faces behind the masks one day to thank them personally.”

Steve’s wife Mandy had been unable to visit him for seven weeks.

A month after he was admitted to hospital, she saw him on Facetime “just opening his eyes and wiggling his toes and fingers”.

She praised NHS staff for being a family to her husband while she and sons Will and Ben could not be by his side.

She said they had saved Steve, her husband of 40 years and “a doting dad to his beloved twin sons”.

“To be there and see him after seven weeks was a very special moment made possible by the skill, dedication, care and most of all love of everyone in critical care,” she said.

“They were there with him in his darkest hours when we could not be with him. In those awful first couple of weeks we never gave up hope.”

Mandy said not being able to see Steve for so long had been heartbreaking but spared the family the anguish of seeing him critically ill.

She said: “We know he has a long road to recovery and there is no time limit. We are just so eternally grateful that we will have him home soon.”

Critical Care Unit nurse Holly Andrews said: “We are all so happy for Mr Honeyball and his family.

“As someone with us for a long time on critical care, his determination and humour as he was recovering made a difference to all our staff and we wish him all the best with his further recovery.”

• Local newspapers across Newsquest are joining forces to raise money for workers at the frontline of the healthcare crisis. Please donate whatever you can, and let us give a collective, united message to our NHS workers of our huge appreciation for their efforts. You can get involved and support our campaign by sharing our appeal and telling us why you are thankful for the NHS #ThankYouNHS on social media using the link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-our-nhs-guardian-angels.