73-year-old man didn’t eat for over a week in quarantine, fearing he had COVID-19; gets help from nurse
INQUIRER.net Stock Photo
A 73-year-old man in the United Kingdom reportedly went on seven to 10 days without eating because he isolated himself in his home thinking he had COVID-19.
Lucy Duncan, a 24-year-old nurse, was fortunately able to help the elderly man after the latter “drove in the side” of the nurse’s car in an attempt to finally get food after more than a week in isolation.
The nurse took to Facebook account yesterday, March 27, to detail the incident, which she described as “an eye-opener.”
“After working a 12-hour shift, I was driving home from work when someone drove in the side of me, they then drove off,” she said. “I followed the car into [a] street [where] the car had parked up, I got out my car to see it was an elderly man driving.”
“The man [opened] his car door and reached out to me, he grabbed my arm tightly and told me he’s got [COVID-19],” the nurse added.
The elderly man, who had “beads of sweat rolling down his face,” asked for Duncan’s help as he was drifting in and out of consciousness.
“I offered to ring the man an ambulance and he told me he will wait till the morning. I went to my car and luckily had a mask with me but no further PPE (personal protective equipment). I rang an ambulance for the man and he told me he hasn’t [eaten] for 7-10 days as he has been in isolation and has no family or friends,” she said.
What an eye opener tonight has been, after working a 12 hour shift, I was driving home from work when someone drove In…
Posted by Lucy Duncan on Thursday, March 26, 2020
The 73-year-old went out only to get some food and essentials and did not ask for help because “he didn’t trust other people as there’s a lot of horrible people in the world.”
When the ambulance arrived, Duncan first made sure that the 73-year-old was safe to be transported before she escorted him to the vehicle.
“I followed him up in my own car and have stayed with him for 5 hours with wearing full PPE. The man was so grateful that I stayed with him and kept squeezing my hand and pulling it close to him,” Duncan said.
“The man asked me why I was being so kind, so I told him I would hate to be poorly and have no one by my side,” she added.
Duncan said she is not sure if the elderly man will do get better, but she hopes he does as he has promised to have some coffee with her after. The nurse said she gave the man his contact details so he can message her when he recovers.
The nurse is now in self-isolation as her family had to leave their house temporarily because she is not yet sure if she was exposed to the novel coronavirus.
“But I know I have saved a mans life tonight, if [I] waited to ring an ambulance in the morning, he wouldn’t be alive tomorrow,” she stressed. /ra
RELATED STORIES:
95-year-old grandmother is oldest woman to recover from COVID-19 in Italy
LOOK: Animal shelter emptied after every pet gets adopted amid COVID-19
For more news about the novel coronavirus click here.
What you need to know about Coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare frontliners and is still accepting cash donations to be deposited at Banco de Oro (BDO) current account #007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this link.
