Pregnant Nurse Issues Tearful Plea While Being Treated For Coronavirus

A pregnant nurse who is being treated for coronavirus has shared an emotional plea from her hospital bed, urging the public to follow social distancing rules.

Michelle Wright issued the tearful message from a high dependency ward in Russell Hall Hospital, Dudley.

BBC)

37-year-old Michelle is 29 weeks pregnant and shared her video message with the world on 3rd April.

While being treated, she was given steroid injections to help her unborn baby's lungs due to the danger they might deteriorate and prompt a premature birth.

Struggling to breathe and speaking through her oxygen mask, the City Hospital nurse said: "This virus is very unpredictable, I struggle too much to breathe on my own.

"I hope this is temporary and I just pray things start to improve, I've not got any worse in the last 24 hours but this virus does not discriminate."

With the UK's coronavirus death toll continuing to rise, and with warm weather increasing the risk of people gathering in parks and outside spaced, tearful Michelle asked listeners to follow the NHS and Government advice on self-isolation.

"So I'm not going to talk for long," she said, gasping for breath. "But what I wanted to say was please, please listen to Government advice, social distancing, keep yourself and your families as safe as possible."

BBC)

"If you can stay in and save lives. We have to all do what we can to keep ourselves safe and keep the NHS able to cope."

Thankfully, since sharing her urgent message, Michelle's condition has improved. Her family are unsure how she contracted the virus.

In an interview with the BBC on Tuesday April 7th, her sister Donna said her breathing was "definitely better - which is encouraging."

Despite Michelle's treatment, all indicators show that her baby is doing well and is healthy.

"She is still in high dependency and is being really well looked after," Donna told the BBC. "Despite Michelle struggling to breathe the baby is, all the signs are really positive that everything is fine, so that's brilliant.

"She felt that perhaps younger people weren't taking it as seriously."

Stay home, stay safe, and protect the NHS.

Topics: News, Coronavirus, Covid-19

Mary-Jane Wiltsher

Mary-Jane Wiltsher is a freelance lifestyle and culture journalist. Elsewhere she writes for Stylist, Euronews, PHOENIX and What We Seee.