“I spent a month in a coma after catching Covid and nearly dying – volunteering is my way of giving back to the medics who saved me”

What was at first a bad cough and fever soon got worse. And when Ray discovered that other partygoers were suffering symptoms too – though not as bad as his – he began to worry that he may have caught Covid. Fast forward several days, and Ray found himself seriously ill and being rushed to Kingston Hospital. He was among the first people in the UK to be hospitalised at the very beginning of the pandemic.

Ray’s condition deteriorated and he was placed on a ventilator as doctors induced a coma. At this time, his desperately worried family – who were not permitted to visit him – were told to prepare for the worst.

“I nearly died,” recalls Ray, 62. “Of course, I was oblivious to everything but my wife was getting daily calls informing her that my life was on a knife-edge.”

Fortunately, Ray slowly started to improve and after month, he emerged from the coma and was transferred to Headley Court rehabilitation centre in Leatherhead to continue his recovery. “My body was so deconditioned due to the coma that I was almost entirely paralysed. It took almost everything I had just to get back on my feet and I was hospitalised for three-and-a-half months in total.”

Following his ordeal and slow but successful recovery, Ray wanted to find a way to give back to the NHS and, in particular Kingston Hospital’s team which he credits with saving his life. He learned about ‘gentle movement’ volunteer role – part of Helpforce’s ‘Back to Health’ partnership with the hospital - and made a successful application.

“It involves me doing a two-and-a-half shift once a week on an elderly care ward. The idea is that I get round as many patients as possible to help them with gentle exercises that help keep them mobile while they’re in hospital and prevent muscle wastage. I’ve been doing it for two years now and I love it.”

Ray also spent some time volunteering at a care home where he also helped residents with mobility exercises.

And recently he signed-up to undertake 1-1 home visits with elderly patients who’ve left hospital following treatment as part of another Helpforce / Kingston Hospital programme. He worked with a lady called Myrtle who is in her 80s.

“On my first visit I was accompanied by a professional physiotherapist who assessed Myrtle and gave her some exercises to try. Then for the next eight weeks I visited Myrtle on my own and encouraged her to keep going with the exercises.

“The exercises helped Myrtle to maintain her mobility but, more importantly, I was able to help her to regain her confidence to a point where she felt able to go out on her own. This was a massive thing for Myrtle as it meant she could catch a bus and go and see her friends. It meant she was socially connected. Knowing that I could help her to maintain a level of independence gave me an immense sense of satisfaction.”

Ray, who still suffers fatigue due to his Covid ordeal, views the time he spent in hospital as “work experience” for his NHS volunteer role. “All of the doctors and nurses I’ve come across have been brilliant – but none of them have had the existential experience that I have, and that makes me very well qualified as a volunteer. For long-term patients, talking to someone who’s been in the same situation as them can be very comforting.”

Summing up the benefits that volunteering brings him, Ray says: “It encourages me to be socially active beyond my immediate family and friends. It also helps to retain a sense of perspective on life, reminding me how lucky I am. But above all, I get a rich sense of purpose.”

Inspired by tens and thousands of volunteers like Ray, who wish to volunteer for the NHS to give back, Helpforce has launched a three-year campaign 'Giving Back, Transforming Care' to inspire national conversations, foster deeper public engagement and shift perceptions of healthcare volunteering from a 'nice to have' to a strategic imperative. Learn more about this ambitious campaign here.