A MUM has been re-united with her children after a five-week struggle led her to overcome a potentially fatal bout of coronavirus,

Mum-of-three Natasha Jenkins, 35, of Barry, became ill two days before Mother’s Day, on March 22, and she attended Cardiff’s University Hospital of Wales, believing her continuous severe headache was the result of inhaling paint fumes through decorating at home.

Ms Jenkins, a second-year nursing student, suffered hallucinations and in her coma, she felt locked inside her body as she screamed for the help that no-one could hear. The lung pain made her feel like she was constantly drowning.

She said: “On Mother’s Day, I went to A&E where they did a lumbar puncture and sent me home. I got progressively worse over the next couple of days. My sister took me back into hospital. They did x-rays which showed I had pneumonia which is a sign of covid so they tested me. I was in a lot of pain and progressively getting worse. The covid test came back positive the next day and that’s pretty much the last thing I remember as within hours of the test coming back positive, I deteriorated and was on ITU where I stayed for 22 days.

“My family were told a few times we had to take things hour by hour as I was so poorly. The symptoms I experienced were severe headache, vomiting, sore throat and chest pain and feeling like I couldn’t breathe. I’ve not lost my sense of smell, but I have no co-ordination.

“Currently my arms and legs are extremely weak and I have to walk with a frame. From the first time I was admitted to hospital until I came out was nearly five weeks which I had to do completely alone due to the hospital being on lockdown which was extremely difficult.”

Ms Jenkins was taken off the ventilator on Tuesday, April 21, and returned home on Saturday, April 25.

“I pretty much begged the doctors as I felt safer being home,” she said. “I was desperate to see my children as it had been so long.

“I’m having to take an interruption of study for uni and would hope to continue next year.

“The Covid-19 virus is a horrible disease and people are still not fully understanding the severity of it. It’s important to listen to the guidelines until we are fully aware of what this disease is because even professionals don’t fully understand.

“I am proof that anyone can catch it. I was the youngest person in the hospital to have the disease.

“I will be forever grateful to the staff at UHW for saving my life. They were absolutely incredible with me and they are putting their own lives at risk.

“My family and friends have been incredible and everyone has been so generous and amazing and I wouldn’t have been able to do this without them.”