‘Super gran’, 94, back home after recovering from coronavirus

Updated

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 in Beccles in Suffolk.

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 Gorleston 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.

Coronavirus
Coronavirus

“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 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.”

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