'SHA'HALU SHALOM YERUSHALAYIM - PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM'

Covid to Glory

My testimony of my time in hospital with Covid-19

By Canon Andrew White

 I have been kidnapped, shot at and held hostage but nothing compared to my recent tragedy of being held captive by Covid. This week I returned home from a 17 week admittance to hospital.

In early January of this year, I woke up one morning one in severe pain. Suffering from Multiple sclerosis, it was suspected that I was having a flare up, but upon calling my GP, an ambulance was called and I was rapidly admitted into Royal Surrey Hospital. I was soon diagnosed with respiratory and biliary infections and was assured that I would only be in hospital for a few days. 

I was put on multiple courses of IV antibiotics in the first couple of weeks to try and fight off the infections, but it became obvious that my situation continued to rapidly decline medically and physically. I was then informed that my routine covid test was positive and then was quickly transferred into the covid isolation unit. I was put on an oxygen treatment and was eventually asked whether I was prepared to go on a ventilator or whether I would be happier to let them let me go. I explained to them very clearly that I was quite prepared to meet my maker and did not want them to ventilate me and put me on a life support machine. The doctors respected my decision and agreed that they would not ventilate me.

The thing I was missing the most was not being able to communicate in Aramaic or Hebrew. I was then introduced to a new neurologist called Issa Jabril who told me he trained in Liverpool and I looked at him and said “You’re Iraqi” and he said to me “I am indeed a Baghdadi and I was in your Sunday school at St. Georges church when I was 10 years old”. I then was delighted to find that one of my night nurses had spent many years working in Israel, and although she was Filipino, she spoke fluent Hebrew. My final dramatic encounter was with one of my physiotherapists Anna Gabriel who just so happened to come from the very road where I lived in Amman in Jordan. She became an incredibly close friend. 

All of the NHS staff that I met were outstanding, however, there were periods of complete isolation during my time on the Covid ward. The pain, isolation and fear was far worse than I ever experienced when I was kidnapped and held hostage because when I was being held hostage, the threat of death was external, whilst covid was internal and there was an overwhelming feeling of being imprisoned from the inside. 

Despite all of this, I always felt aware that my job had not yet finished and that my calling and ministry had in many ways just begun and all that I was experiencing would aid me in my future ministry. This is indeed what happened and I soon began to continue my preaching and teaching on Zoom with colleagues around the world, including those in Pakistan who were also experiencing the terror and isolation of extremists. 

It was in this pain and terror that I was so aware of the ever present reality of God who had never left my side or forsaken me during my whole life, especially during this time of this recent trauma. I have met many people who have told me that they have suffered the passing events of Covid but what I went through was a full blown attack.

Despite all of this, I still have questions.

I do not deny that my restoration following my covid diagnosis was miraculous and I asked the question ‘why have I survived when so many of my friends have died?’. I still ask the question ‘Why?’. I am so grateful to the Lord for enabling me to come through.

After my miraculous recovery from Covid, I was transferred to the Neurological rehabilitation facility due to the extreme decline in my physical health from being inactive in a hospital bed for so long. The rehab centre staff were an amazing collection of people from around the world. Most of them had an extremely strong faith and experience of God and it was wonderful being able to take regular communion services for the other patients and staff in the home.

Because of obvious restrictions, I didn’t have any visitors until week 16 when I was out of isolation at the Rehab facility. I finally had visits from my youngest son Jacob and my Executive Assistant Phoebe. In a pre Covid world, a visit like this would be an insignificant event, but the separation from my family and loved ones for this terrifying period of my life made it so that the first time seeing my family was a truly inspirational and spiritual event.

After 4 weeks of physio and rehabilitation, I was finally able to go home.

The hardest thing is the fact that all of my work has to be maintained and for months I have been unable to raise any funds for our work which I predominately did through my teaching and preaching.


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