British bodybuilder beats 1% chance of surviving Covid-19

A British bodybuilder who was given just a 1% chance of surviving coronavirus has made a miracle recovery after 50 days on a ventilator.

Burly bodybuilder Steve Banks, 44, was left in intensive care for a month and a half after being struck down by the killer virus.

He was rushed to hospital on March 25 by paramedics when his breathing deteriorated and within hours was put into an induced coma.

The next thing Steve remembers is waking up over seven weeks later in a different hospital with nurses and doctors standing around his bed clapping because he had finally opened his eyes.

Steve says he feels lucky to be alive after suffering heart, kidney and respiratory failure as well as sepsis as he body began to shut down while battling the disease.

The dad of two was given a tracheotomy and was put on a life-support machine in a last-ditch attempt to get oxygen into his body at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Essex.

He said his condition got so bad his family wrote letters to say goodbye and were told to prepare for his funeral as they did not think he was going to make it.

But Steve, who had no underlying health conditions, started to turn a corner and is now recovering at home in East Tilbury, Essex.

As he left the hospital after being taken off a ventilator, nurses and doctors clapped his recovery.

Steve now cannot walk unaided and has lost so much muscle mass he described himself as being "half the man I was before".

When he woke up, Steve said he did not recognise himself as he lost nearly four stone in weight.

He said: "I don't remember much after going into hospital as everything just crashed.

"When I woke up I was in a different hospital, I couldn't speak, and there were lots of nurses around me clapping. It was quite a surreal moment.

"One minute I was struggling to breath, the next I had an oxygen mask.

"I went into hospital before the lockdown, only 55 people had died.

"When I came out it was over 31,000 - the country had changed beyond all recognition, it was such a shock. It's been an interesting ride.

"I was a very active person, I tried to look after myself. I was an avid gym-goer and I lifted a lot of weights.

"But this absolutely battered me, when I woke up I looked in the mirror and didn't recognise myself.

"I was around 16st and went down to about 12st 2lbs when I left hospital."

He added: "I had suffered heart, kidney and respiratory failure and sepsis as well as pneumonia.

"I was put on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation [life-support] which drained the blood from my body to clean it out.

"It was a last chance swoop to help save me.

"Then to find out how close I came to saying goodbye, it was very shocking, there's still things I don't know yet. Everyone I speak to says it is a miracle that I am alive."