Woman who became seriously ill by Covid in Vietnam writes book
A FORMER theater nurse has shared how she had to fight for her life in hospital on the other side of the world.
Shan Barker, 68, from Mersea, decided to write a 100-page book about the incredible chain of events that began when she contracted Covid-19 on a flight from London to Hanoi in Vietnam.
Her book, entitled A Diverse Nurse Thanks Vietnam, was written in the summer of 2020, a few months after Ms. Barker and her husband were hospitalized with Covid-19 and put on ventilators at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Vietnam.
Ms Barker had traveled to Asia with her husband to visit her son in early March 2020 – before a single Covid-related death had been confirmed in the UK.
###: Vietnam sees lowest daily number of coronavirus cases since Nov. 21 last year
Only 11 cases had been officially confirmed in Vietnam by the time she and her husband arrived.
But the flight they had boarded contained a super spreader and she and numerous other passengers were infected with Covid.
“It was an experience and a half,” she says.
“At 6am there was a knock on the door as we were on a cruise ship telling us we couldn’t leave our room – next thing we know we’re on our way to a hospital under flashing lights.
“No English was spoken – it was just ‘Don’t leave the room. Passenger infected’.”
Mrs. Barker became seriously ill and had to be put on a ventilator.
In her darkest moments, she thought she would fall victim to the virus.
“I wrote with a pen on my hospital bed that I didn’t think I would survive – I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
“I thought ‘this is it’.”
She spent six weeks in isolation before being greeted by a media scrum as she left the hospital.
“When we were led out, the press was all camping outside and the national TV station made a documentary in which I was interviewed.
“I almost became a mini-celebrity – it was all a bit surreal,” she said.
Mrs. Barker’s book, now on sale on Amazon, will be officially launched at the West Mersea Yacht Club at 6pm today.
She will then be holding another event at the Coast Inn tomorrow at the same time.
Ms. Barker has no plans to monetize the book’s sales, adding that she plans to donate all profits to charities that help children undergoing chemotherapy.
Through Daniel Rees. This article was first posted here.
