Staff at Ysbyty Gwynedd clap and cheer as colleagues leave hospital after beating COVID-19

Staff at Ysbyty Gwynedd broke into a round of applause as two of their colleagues were discharged from hospital after beating COVID-19.

Chef Danny Monserrate, 53, and catering assistant Rose Humphreys, 68, who work in the Bangor’s hospital’s catering department, both made emotional exits from the hospital after recovering from the coronavirus.

Father-of-four, Danny, spent a month in hospital after contracting COVID-19 and needed specialist treatment on the high dependency unit.

He said: “I was feeling unwell for a few days and tried my best to self-manage by taking over the counter medication.

“Unfortunately I started to get worse and my daughter decided to ring for an ambulance, the paramedics assessed me and took me straight to Ysbyty Gwynedd.

“After that I don’t really remember very much, but I remember being told I needed intensive care treatment quite quickly as I was struggling to breathe.

“I wasn’t coping on the CPAP machine so I was placed on a ventilator for around 15 days.

“Obviously I don’t remember anything about my time when I was on the ventilator, but my wife told me the staff were fantastic with keeping in touch with her and letting her know how I was.

“I can’t thank the staff enough, as well as my family they also gave me the strength to fight and keep going and not let the virus beat me.

“I owe them everything, they saved my life.”

Staff at Ysbyty Gwynedd clapped and cheered as two of their colleagues left hospital this month after beating COVID-19.👏👏👏

Danny and Rose, who both work in the Catering Department, are now recovering at home after a long period in hospital. https://t.co/67gSqxvqNz pic.twitter.com/kFNqolFJl0

— Betsi Cadwaladr (@BetsiCadwaladr) June 22, 2020

Rose, who has worked at Ysbyty Gwynedd for 34 years, is recovering at home after nearly two months in hospital.

She said: “At the beginning of April I really wasn’t feeling well at all and I was admitted to hospital.

“I was originally taken to the COVID ward but I became so unwell I was transferred to the High Dependency Unit.

“I was then placed on a ventilator for 24 days, at one point the staff were not hopeful and my sister was told to prepare for the worst.

“Luckily I turned a corner and started to make a recovery thanks to the fantastic staff on the unit.

“I’m really pleased to be back home and on the way to recovery, I still get a bit breathless now and again but I know it’s going to take time to get back to normal.”

As well as thanking staff at their hospital, Danny and Rose hope their story will encourage the public to continue to follow government guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“We never thought it would happen to us, everyone should take the virus seriously and adhere to the guidelines in place to protect us all, this is the only way we can help with preventing the spread of the virus,” added Rose.

Alun Owen, Catering Manager at Ysbyty Gwynedd, added: “We were really pleased to see Rose and Danny return home after a long period in hospital and we wish them all the best in their recovery.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our catering staff who have played an important role during this pandemic. We are all looking forward to having Danny and Rose back with us when they are fully recovered.”