Rowhedge coronavirus survivor Omar Taylor on road to recovery

Rowhedge resident Omar Taylor, 31, was first admitted to the intensive care unit at Colchester Hospital on March 22 after testing positive for Covid-19.

The virus lead to a double blood clot on his brain and nearly took his life.

His wife, Kaitlyn, who is a student nurse, has paid tribute to the NHS staff who saved her husband’s life.

She said: “The ICU staff at Colchester Hospital are the best in the world. I am so appreciative of everything they have done for us.”

Kaitlyn and Omar Taylor after he was declared Covid-19 free

Mr Taylor, who has a daughter Vivienne, four, and son Harrison, two, became unwell after birthday celebrations and made the decision to self-isolate at his mother’s home.

Mrs Taylor said: “At first I told him to get a grip and told him he was hungover but on March 14 he called an ambulance which brought him to hospital.

“They kept him in less than 24 hours and sent him home saying he probably had a chest infection.

“He went home and for a whole week he could not get out of bed.”

On March 19, Mr Taylor was rushed back to hospital and admitted to Mersea ward where three days later it was confirmed he had Covid-19.

The family reunited

Mrs Taylor said: “He was transferred to ICU on March 22 and he was unconscious. One morning I woke up at 4.45am and I had ten missed calls from the hospital.

“I rang them and they said they were laying him on his stomach and he was on a ventilator.”

Mr Taylor’s condition did not improve for more than a week and doctors became concerned about his brain activity.

A CT scan then uncovered the true extent of the damage done by Covid-19.

Mrs Taylor said: “He had a double blood clot on his brain which caused two severe strokes. After the scan they started waking him up and weaning him off the sedatives.

“They didn’t think he was going to make it and neither did we. I used to sit by the phone waiting for the call to say he had passed away.”

But Mr Taylor survived and has already made remarkable progress on the hospital’s stroke ward.

Mrs Taylor said: “He is walking again already. He can’t talk but he never lost cognition, so he understands everything which is going on.”

The Care UK regional manager will require help to complete his recovery but hopes to go home soon.

Friends and neighbours have rallied round the couple, raising £14,000 for the family.

Mrs Taylor said: “Everyone in Rowhedge has been so wonderful to us. I am so grateful. All of Omar’s close friends got together and donated £1,000 to help us pay bills and things.”

Donate at uk.gofundme.com/f/omars-covid19-battle.