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downsmail.co.uk


Nurses applaud man who fought off virus


A MAIDSTONE man who beat Covid-19 after 12 days on a ventilator received a round of applause from medical staff when he left hospital.


Peter Ananicz (68), of Boughton


Lane, was hospitalised for 17 days after he was brought by ambulance to Maidstone Hospital’s emer- gency department on Tuesday, March 31. His wife Ruth (60) dialled 999


and, on arrival, he was given a swab test and oxygen to help him breathe. Within two hours, Peter was told


he needed to go on a ventilator so his body could fight the infection. Peter, who runs his own busi-


ness, Solar for Schools, said: “I’ve never needed hospital treatment for anything in my life, but it all happened so quickly I didn’t have time to worry. “All I knew was that I wanted


Street artist’s tribute to


hero medics A SPECTACULAR piece of street art has sprung up in Kingswood to thank NHS workers for their dedication during the coron- avirus pandemic. This image of two NHS work-


ers as superheroes was taken in Whitehall Drive.


Breaktime boost for hospital staff


ESSENTIAL foods were provided free of charge to staff at Maid- stone Hospital, courtesy of a farm in Aylesford. Watts Farms sent a lorry filled


with goods such as milk, bread, tinned food and juices for NHS workers to have during their break. The generous donation was


made by the company as a way of saying thank you to NHS staff members who are working on the frontline and behind the scenes. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells


NHS Trust’s director of estates and facilities, Doug Ward, said: “We are extremely grateful to Watts Farms for its generous offer.


“Since the pandemic, the NHS


Trust has been inundated with of- fers of food from various local businesses. The kindness that has been shown during these chal- lenging times knows no bounds.” Watts Farms director, Ed Gray,


said: “It felt great being able to directly help the NHS staff who are working so hard to fight the Coronavirus. “Before going into business, I


trained as a medic so I felt like I wanted to do my part.”


help because I was struggling to breathe and that I was in safe hands. When they brought me back round, they asked me my name and if I knew where I was. At that point, I had no idea that I had


been out for 12 days.” Ruth, pictured with Peter, said:


“On the day he was taken to hos- pital by ambulance, I still didn’t think it could be coronavirus, so when I got the call a few hours later saying he was being venti- lated, I couldn’t quite believe it. “Although I couldn’t see him


whilst he was in hospital, I totally understood the reasons why and the staff were very good at keeping me informed all the time he was in hospital. “Peter was one of the lucky ones


and we are both so grateful for ev- erything the medical team did for him. I know some others won’t have been as lucky as us and my heart goes out to them.”


From curtains


to scrubs ... A LOCAL curtain business joined a network of stitchers to make much needed scrubs for the NHS. Ann Bailey, of Designer Touch


Curtains, Bearsted, put her skills to use for the greater good, mak- ing uniforms for Maidstone doc- tors, nurses and other NHS staff. Ann said: "We’ve been busy


sorting out fabric, cutting out and sewing to make the scrubs for the NHS. We’ve also got lots of lining ready to cut out to make more scrubs’ bags. “These are strange times, but


it’s great to see everyone is doing their bit to help.”


‘Olliesaurus’


raises over £1k A SCHOOLBOY from East Malling became a local hit after he stepped outside his house dressed as a dinosaur amid the coronavirus lockdown. Ollie Rutt (11) wanted to bring


smiles to the faces of his com- munity and thank the NHS. He decided to take it one step


further and walk 10 miles dressed in the inflatable costume to raise money for the healthcare workers. Ollie's mother, Jennie said:


“He was inspired by Colonel Tom Moore’s fundraising and decided he wanted to do his bit. He dressed up as the inflatable dinosaur ‘Olliesaurus’ and walked a total of 10 miles around our village in his costume.” He raised a total of £1,015.


35


Coronavirus heroes |News


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