Thread by @Telegraph

🚨 As her husband lies in hospital fighting the long-term effects of Covid, here is everything you need to know about the presenter's journey

telegraph.co.uk/women/life/fin…

🌎 In March last year, as the pandemic spread around the world, Derek, 53, was admitted to hospital with severe Covid and placed in a medically-induced coma

Although coronavirus has not been present in Derek’s body since June, he is still fighting its long-term effects including:

📌 Kidney failure
📌 Damage to his liver and pancreas
📌 Heart failure
📌 Bacterial pneumonia
📌 A hole in his lungs

Derek’s story is told in a new documentary called Kate Garraway: Finding Derek. The program follows Kate as she narrates the devastating journey the family have embarked on since Derek caught the virus. She also meets other families who have been affected by long-term coronavirus

It is thought that Derek is the longest surviving coronavirus inpatient

🎥 The documentary is filmed between July 2020 and the present day, but Kate began documenting her journey on social media in April. These updates were mainly based around interactions Kate and her children, 15-year-old Darcy and 11-year-old William, shared with Derek on Facetime

Kate has been open about her reasons for publicly documenting her husband's illness, saying that it’s important she uses her platform to speak for other families who are going through the same thing

In May, Kate took to Instagram to share an intimate picture of family life behind the scenes.

In the post, she said that Derek remained “critically ill”, and that her son had made a Lego model as a tribute to the NHS

👏 Throughout Derek’s battle with the virus, Kate paid several tributes to NHS staff who were caring for him, and shared an emotional clip of her, and her family, taking part in the final clap for carers. She also revealed that her son Billy sometimes sleeps by Derek’s empty bed

In June Kate returned to work, and gave her first interview since Derek was hospitalised. At this point, Derek was free from coronavirus, but it had “wreaked extraordinary damage” on his body and he remained unconscious

In a GMB interview, Kate provided insight into Derek’s health:

“They rang me up and said we're going to put him in a coma, and he just said to me 'I love you, I have to leave you...He said to me 'you have saved my life, I don't just mean now, I mean marrying me and the children"

Around this time, Kate's admitted that despite putting on a brave face for her children she was suffering mentally:

"I need to make them feel safe, they've lost for the time being – let's pray – their dad and he's their world, so they need to see that their mum is OK"

A small glimmer of hope came in July. Although Kate described the situation as still “very desperate”, Derek was opening his eyes. She admitted that, despite the progress, the family still had “no real knowledge” about what he could see, feel or hear

In August, Kate held back tears as she told GMB how difficult it had been being apart from Derek:

📌 On his 53rd birthday
📌 Their 15th wedding anniversary
📌 Over Christmas

Seven months after he was admitted to hospital, Derek uttered his first word – “pain” – as doctors moved his body, while Kate watched on Facetime. At this time, his tracheostomy tube was also removed, and he was able to breathe without a ventilator

The documentary reveals the enormous impact the virus has had on Derek, both physically and emotionally. In one clip, Kate recalls how Derek told her that he couldn’t go on anymore while drifting in and out of consciousness

Kate also reveals that Derek has lost eight stone since he has been in hospital.

“Derek is physically very affected. His legs are like sticks, he has no muscle left. In terms of his movement, he’s physically affected"

We also see the emotional footage of Derek regaining consciousness, as Kate watches over Facetime.

She says, “I’m so proud of you. I’m so proud of you"

Doctors are uncertain whether Derek will make a full recovery. Although Kate has remained optimistic, she is aware that more difficulty lies ahead:

"I feel like [...] I am on a lifeboat somehow and he is coming up and down...you are on this precipice trying to hold onto him"

Kate Garraway: Finding Derek airs tonight (23 March) at 9pm on ITV