Kate Garraway reveals Derek’s heartbreaking words when they thought he had just minutes left to live
- Kate’s husband, Derek Draper, became unwell with Long Covid in 2020
- In summer last year Derek developed sepsis and was again rushed to hospital
- The ITV presenter described the experience as ‘terrifying’
Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway revealed her Covid-stricken husband Derek Draper’s desperate words when he faced a deadly battle with sepsis.
Kate, who has cared for Derek since 2020 when he first became ill with Covid at the onset of the pandemic, divulged into the moment when he was minutes from death.
During the summer of 2022, Derek was hurried to hospital after he was diagnosed with sepsis, where the severe condition nearly killed him.
Recalling the traumatic day, the 55-year-old ITV star told The Sun: ‘At one point Derek said to me, “This is it, this time. I am gone.” It was just terrifying.
‘His sepsis was gut-wrenching for all of us because it had gone undiagnosed until the point where it was about to take his life away again.’
Kate Garraway revealed the terrifying time last summer where her husband, Derek Draper fell ill with sepsis, which almost killed him
While Derek spent the majority of last year in the hospital, for the first months of this year he is being cared for at home.
The Smooth Radio presenter has had to spend ‘tens of thousands of pounds’ adapting the family home in London for Derek, which included the installation of ramps, a downstairs wet room and a makeshift downstairs bedroom.
Read More: Kate Garraway will take husband Derek Draper to Mexico for second bout of experimental treatment
Speaking about his current condition and caring for him, Kate said: ‘Poor Derek’s condition currently covers about 11 specialisms of medical care, so getting all the different departments to coordinate and keeping records sometimes feels like a full-time job in itself.
‘Fortunately though, Derek is extraordinary and his spirit is extraordinary, and it keeps all of us going.
‘Every day is emotional — but Derek is with us, and still fighting.’
The process of giving at-home care for Derek has been completely self-funded and Kate insists that they have not had any ‘special treatment’ from the NHS or ‘bypassed waiting lists’ due to her celebrity status.
She said: ‘Of course, it’s been tough financially. As anyone with a loved one who is seriously ill knows, the costs go through the roof in so many ways.
‘You have to make changes to your home and it affects your ability to work. I had to take long periods off when Derek was first sick, and of course it affects the overall income for the family as he can no longer work.’
Derek has been unwell with long COVID since 2020 and Jake looked after him when he first came out of hospital. Pictured: Derek with his carer Jake
She noted that despite Derek’s insistence that they carry on, she says it’s ‘unbearable’ to see him in pain, admitting it makes her ’emotional’ just speaking about it.
In March 2020, Derek was rushed into hospital in an ambulance where he was placed on a ventilator and in an induced coma.
As a result of lockdown rules during the pandemic, Kate and the couple’s two children Darcey, 16, and Billy, 13, were unable to visit him as he received treatment.
13 months later, Derek was finally allowed to go home.
However, following the long period of hospitalisation, his body was ravaged with various crippling conditions and he now remains confined to a bed and wheelchair.
While Derek’s long-term chance of recovery is still not known, the ‘utter devastation’ to his body is undeniable.
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