COVID-19 miracle survivor praises student nurse on ITV's Good Morning Britain

SALLY Ann Hodson, aged 66, has been hailed as one of the most miraculous survivors of Covid-19, after spending five weeks on a ventilator, mostly in an induced coma, and given only a 20 per cent chance of pulling through. But she did, and has now appeared on top-rated TV show “Good Morning Britain”, where she was able to praise and thank another of the on-screen guests – University of Huddersfield nursing student Emily Donaghy.

Emily is one of the scores of students who are working on the front line in the fight against the virus. Based at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, she was one of the team who cared for Mrs Hodson, leading to her recovery.

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Quizzed on “Good Morning Britain” by Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid, Mrs Hodson – who appeared alongside her husband Philip – was eloquent in her praise for Emily and her colleagues.

“I left hospital with the most profound feeling of humility,” she told the ITV programme’s million-plus viewers.

“I was nursed back to health by many, many people. I saw the human side of nursing. I will never be eloquent enough to tell how they wrapped me in a warm blanket of security,” said Mrs Hodson, who is the sister of late England cricket captain Tony Greig.

It had been a dire time for the nurses, she added, but “they arrive back at work the next day so calm, loving and kind. It is just beyond my comprehension. I owe them such a debt of gratitude”.

Mrs Hodson’s husband told the programme that his wife would not have survived without the 24-hour care provided by the Pinderfields nurses, including the University of Huddersfield’s Emily Donaghy, who was seen on “Good Morning Britain” alongside ward sister Davina Corrigan-Taylor. She had special words of praise for the student, describing her as a credit to her university and telling how after qualification she will be based in the respiratory ward at Pinderfields.

The sequence ended when Susannah Reid turned to Emily - a pre-registered nurse - asking about her “extraordinary training period”.

“It’s very bizarre. To join up for the Covid pandemic, I was hesitant at first, but seeing people like Sally made it all worthwhile,” said Emily, who also praised the support she had received from the NHS Trust and her mentor.