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Kate Garraway’s husband Derek Draper has said his heartbreaking first word 214 days after his battle with the coronavirus began.
The Good Morning Britain host was watching from home on FaceTime as Derek’s doctors treated Derek at the hospital and he mouthed the word “pain.”
It was the first word Derek, 53, had spoken since March.
Kate told The Sun: “It’s a case of trying to balance faith, hope, optimism with reality.
“But we had a breakthrough that was both amazing and heartbreaking.
“It happened when the nurses were moving Derek, as part of his treatment, to cause the feeling of gravity because he has been horizontal for so long.”
(Image: PA)
Derek’s trach tube has been removed and he is now able to breathe without a ventilator, but sadly, Derek appears to still be in a lot of pain.
Doctors were moving his body to keep him from paralyzing when he said the word.
Kate said that since the beginning of his battle with Covid-19, doctors and nurses have spoken to Derek in a respectful way while caring for him, even when he couldn’t open his eyes.
They always hoped they could trigger a response.
And she said that this time, they had been doing the same thing, not really waiting for an answer, but suddenly he spoke the word “pain”.
Kate, 53, said that while it is “heartbreaking” that “pain” was Derek’s first word, the fact that he communicated is a “breakthrough.”
The presenter, who shares the children Darcey, 14, and Billy, 11, with Derek, said he was crying when it happened, and that the hospital staff who have been caring for him were also overwhelmed with emotion.
She added: “It breaks my heart that there have been times when she has been in terrible pain and has not been able to communicate it.”
(Image: Tim Merry)
Kate said Derek has now said the word “pain” twice.
While he didn’t listen the first time, after doctors told him on the phone, he was looking on FaceTime the second time.
She said it is “difficult” but “amazing” because she knows how important this could be to her husband’s recovery.
Kate says that she can see in her husband’s eyes that he is “there” and that they just have to “hang on.”
Despite this improvement, there is still no long-term outlook for Derek.
Doctors are not sure if he will make a full recovery after the coronavirus affected his internal organs, including his lungs, heart, kidneys, liver and pancreas.
Derek has also lost a staggering amount of weight and remains in a form of coma called PDOC, which stands for prolonged disorder of consciousness.
(Image: ITV)
The Mirror recently revealed that Kate has begun work on an emotional documentary about the coronavirus, in which she will talk about Derek and the effect the pandemic has had on the nation as a whole.
Kate is using her own unique point of view to present an ITV documentary in which she will speak to a wide variety of people who have been affected by the pandemic.
A source close to Kate said: “Kate has been seen at GMB regularly speaking about Derek and his ongoing battle against the coronavirus and has now decided to use her point of view to make a documentary as well in which she talks to many other people who have been affected and the stories behind the headlines and the people involved.
“In addition to seeing what she had been through, the show will also speak to survivors of the disease, people on the front lines and economic experts who will provide information on the impact of the coronavirus.
“The idea is to look at the virus and its impact in different ways to show how it has affected so many people across the country.
“Based on watching Kate talk about Derek’s illness on screen, the viewing is likely to be emotional when it airs early next year.”
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