Boris Johnson says fear of never seeing his new son gave him the will to beat coronavirus

NewsColony
Boris Johnson says fear of never seeing his new son gave him the will to beat coronavirus

Boris Johnson has revealed that the fear of never seeing his newborn son drove him in his battle against coronavirus. 

The Prime Minister, 55, spent a week in April at St Thomas’s Hospital in London fighting the virus, including three days in intensive care, and admitted yesterday that doctors had prepared to announce his death. 

Now, in an interview with the Sun, he has opened up further on his fight against the virus, saying he focused on ‘positive thoughts’ about pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds and the impending birth of their child. 

He said: ‘We’ve all got a lot to live for, a lot to do, and I won’t hide it from you, I was thinking about that, yes.’

His son, Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson, was born last Wednesday, just over two weeks after the Prime Minister was released from hospital. 

Mr Johnson added in the interview that he was ‘thrilled’ with the birth and also described his hospital experience in greater detail. 

Boris Johnson (pictured arriving back at Downing Street after the birth of his son) has admitted he thought about his unborn child as he  battled coronavirus in intensive care

The PM said he focused on ‘positive thoughts’ about pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds and the impending birth of their child (pictured is Ms Symonds with baby Wilfred)

A heart-warming caption revealed the boy’s full name as Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson, with Lawrie a reference to Ms Symond’s grandfather and Nicholas a tribute to the two doctors that ‘saved Boris’ life’

He said he jumped on his hospital bed wearing only his boxer shorts to ‘clap like crazy’ for the NHS – just two hours after leaving intensive care.

He added: ‘It was a Thursday when I came out of ICU and with me I had a nurse called Becky and a nurse called, I think, Angel.

‘I was just in my boxers, nothing else. We stood up and there was this big window looking out on the Thames and we saw the Met and the Fire Brigade do this display with their boats.

‘It was just fantastic.’

He also praised the NHS staff who treated him at St Thomas’ Hospital, saying they ‘pulled my chestnuts out of the fire, no question’.

Speaking today, Donald Trump revealed that he and Mr Johnson had discussed the latter’s battle with the virus. 

He told Fox News: ‘He [Mr Johnson] was a victim (of this thing). He thought it was all over.’

Mr Johnson said he was wheeled out of intensive care around 6pm on April 9 and on to a general ward.

He said: ‘It was an amazing moment. They clapped me out of the bit I was in. It’s something they have done for many patients — but it is really the doctors and nurses who deserve it most.

‘I was fantastically lucky. It certainly gave me a really good understanding of the disease and what goes on and how you tackle it.’

And he said he was ‘so lucky by comparison’ with other victims he encountered.

He said: ‘I saw a lot of victims both going in and going out. ‘I felt so lucky by comparison. I am lucky because so many people have suffered so much.

Carrie Symonds (pictured on March 9) revealed the name of her and Boris Johnson’s newborn son as Wilfred, after the Prime Minister’s grandfather

The couple revealed the boy’s full name as Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson, with the first name a tribute to Mr Johnson’s paternal grandfather, Osman Wilfred Kemal (pictured)

‘I want to stress this. So many people have suffered so much more than I did.

‘There are people that I know well who are still on ventilation, who are still in comas.

‘There are so many who have suffered, so many families who are still facing huge anxiety, so many who have lost loved ones.

‘So if you ask me, am I driven by a desire to stop other people suffering? Yes, I absolutely am.’

But he never once thought he might not pull through.

He added: ‘I suppose there was some natural buoyancy or refusal to give in or harbour negative thoughts.

‘I never really thought that I wouldn’t come back from it. It was more frustration.

Mr Johnson praised the NHS staff who treated him at St Thomas’ Hospital, saying they ‘pulled my chestnuts out of the fire, no question

The UK has announced 315 new coronavirus deaths today, bringing total fatalities to 28,446 and putting the country on course to become the hardest hit in Europe

‘What I can say is that I’ve seen the NHS save life and I’ve seen the NHS bring new life into the world in the last month. My love and admiration for that institution is boundless, that’s all I’ll say.’ 

Yesterday, the PM revealed how close he had come to death in his fight against the virus. 

As his chances of survival balanced on a knife-edge, he said he was given ‘litres and litres’ of oxygen as medics fought to keep him alive in intensive care. 

At one point, he added, his doctors even prepared a statement in case he died. 

The PM and his partner Ms Symonds revealed their new son’s full name as Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson last week, with the first name a tribute to Mr Johnson’s paternal grandfather, Osman Wilfred Kemal, and Lawrie a reference to Ms Symonds’ grandfather. 

In a heart-warming Instagram post, Ms Symonds’ said that the middle name Nicholas was a tribute to two NHS doctors ‘that saved Boris’ life last month’ following his battle with coronavirus.

Accompanying the caption was a photograph in which the first-time mother was seen tightly cradling her son, who sported an extraordinary full head of hair not dissimilar to that of his father.

The 32-year-old fiancee of Mr Johnson, who boasted ‘my heart is full’ in the caption, also revealed for the first time that Wilfred had been born at the maternity wing of the NHS’s University College Hospital in central London.

The caption read: ‘Introducing Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas born on 29.04.20 at 9am. Wilfred after Boris’ grandfather Lawrie after my grandfather Nicholas after Dr Nick Price and Dr Nick Hart – the two doctors that saved Boris’ life last month.

‘Thank you so, so much to the incredible NHS maternity team at UCLH that looked after us so well. I couldn’t be happier. My heart is full.’  

Source: Daily Mail australia

The post Boris Johnson says fear of never seeing his new son gave him the will to beat coronavirus appeared first on NewsColony.
NewsColony

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2SwMfet