‘Miracle’ man makes recovery

AnOldcastleman, who spent five and a half weeks in hospital battling Coronavirus – 18 days of which were spent on a ventilator in an induced coma– is back at home recovering this week.

Philip Galligan’s recovery has being described by his wife Anne-Marie as a “miracle”.

The Galligans’ heart-warming story comes as the management of Cavan General Hospital confirmed yesterday (Tuesday) that there were no COVID-19 positive patients being treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) locally.

Speaking toThe Anglo-Celtthis week, Anne-Marie admitted that there were some “very dark moments”, particularly when Philip (62) was in ICU and she could not visit him. The family didn’t know if he would pull through.

“The staff told us ‘we are very worried for your husband, he’s very, very sick’,” said Anne-Marie, Philip’s wife of 32 years.

Philip, who also has diabetes, was first admitted to Cavan General on Friday, April 3. He was transferred to ICU the following day and placed on a ventilator on the Sunday. He was 18 days on the ventilator and, after coming off it, had to be transferred to Beaumont Hospital for a tracheostomy.

The first time Philip’s family was allowed to see him was through a window when he was transferred back to Cavan to continue his recovery.

“He was three storeys up. He was having physio and came to the window. We got a phone up to him and were able to wave to him and hold up a homemade sign that he could read. It said ‘We love you’. That was the first bit of contact,” recalls an emotional Anne-Marie, who was joined by their son Nicky, who had travelled back from the US and their daughter Gemma, who is also from Oldcastle.

Philip was eventually discharged on Monday of last week into the arms of relieved wife Anne-Marie, who praised the “wonderful” staff for the care they gave to her husband and also for keeping them updated, including with daily Skype and video calls even while Philip was on the ventilator.

“The staff were absolutely amazing, not just with the care they gave my husband, but they were amazing with us – keeping us updated. Nothing was too much, we could ring at any time of the day or night,” said Anne-Marie.

She also praised the Irish government for acting quickly to impose restrictions and lockdown to prevent health services being overwhelmed and, ultimately, to save lives.

“We are very conscious that had we been in Italy, Philip, at over 60, wouldn’t have even got a ventilator; and in Spain, he would have been taken off it after two weeks. We are very thankful.”

Eight cases in Cavan Hospital

At the time of going to print yesterday (Tuesday), there were just eight COVID-19 positive patients receiving treatment at Cavan General Hospital – down from a peak of 40 patients at one stage.

There were no patients with Coronavirus being treated within the ICU.

“Nearly every patient cared for in our ICU has come out, have been discharged. They’ve either gone home or to a step-down facility,” general manager at Cavan General Hospital, David Lynch, confirmed this week.

The longest length of stay for any Covid positive patient at CGH has been 48 days.

Sadly, the hospital has had patients who passed away after contracting the virus. Mr Lynch has written to their families to express his personal sympathy.

“It’s sad for all involved. I’ve written to their next of kins knowing they were not able to be with them. That’s a great tragedy in all of this. It’s the very least bit of compassion we can show.”

But overall Mr Lynch believes it is the successful scenarios, like Philip Galligan’s, that keep staff going in this unprecedented time of medical crisis.

“Everyone is really happy, morale is good, and the messages and gifts of goodwill are keeping people up.”

He adds: “The reasons I feel we’re in the positive position of where we’ve had good outcomes for our patients, is the preparation we had coming into this.”

Such “pathways” to care for patients still remain, and may do for the foreseeable future, Mr Lynch admits.

His belief is that COVID-19 is not going to simply “go away”, noting that new patients admitted are still tested, and “whether they’re positive or not, they’re appropriately placed".

It will ultimately, Mr Lynch says, form part of a system expected to become the “new norm” within Irish healthcare.

“We have already started with our teams about how best to do that for both the Cavan and Monaghan sites. So that work is ongoing. There will be new pathways, and they could be here for quite some time.”

He explains: “We have had to adapt, but it’s worked well for us. We’ve learned, not from mistakes necessarily, but really about how to do things differently. Everyday at 9am, Monday to Friday, we meet as a team to discuss the key elements, and we still do it.”

Care surrounding COVID-19, meanwhile, is provided in addition to all the other situations and conditions hospital staff must manage on a daily basis, Mr Lynch reminds. “In terms of day to day business, of caring for people in a safe and conscientious manner, nothing has changed.”