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Kate Garraway reveals touching note her husband left for her before going into coma
8 July 2020, 11:17 | Updated: 8 July 2020, 14:22
Kate Garraway reveals touching note her husband left for her
Kate Garraway revealed the touching note her husband Derek left for her before he went into a coma with coronavirus.
The Smooth presenter's husband Derek Draper, 52, remains seriously ill after waking from a coma induced more than 100 days ago after he contracted Covid-19.
And speaking to James O'Brien, she revealed the beautiful notes her husband left for her.
She said: "He left a note in a suitcase, because I'd had to go away overnight just before he got sick, saying 'This is going to be our year and you're doing so brilliantly'.
"I saw it at the time, then found it again when I had to pack some things to take in for him because they've allowed him to have pictures, an iPad and things like that.
"When he was going into the coma - it's a complicated message in hindsight because he was actually really wanting to go into the coma because he was finding it so hard to breath and felt like he was suffocating.
"So he was texting me saying 'Persuade them, you're good at this'. Persuade them to put him in a coma!
"I was saying 'Listen, I am, but they're saying it's better for you not to. You have to stick with it.'
"But shortly after, they rang me and said they were with him now and had to put him in to a coma and I could speak to him and he shouted 'I love you, you saved my life, thank you.'
"I said it wasn't me, they're doing it for them. But he said no, I don't mean now, I mean you saved my life, the children, the family, everything. It's everything.
"He said 'I've got to leave you, but it'll just be for 3-5 days. And that was more than 100 days ago."
"There is hope": Kate Garraway reveals positivity over husband Derek
Kate said "there is hope" that her husband can recover having been in a coma for months after contracting coronavirus.
She has said she will remain positive for her husband Derek Draper, 52, as her husband remains seriously ill after waking from a coma induced more than 100 days ago.
Kate thanked well-wishers after receiving an outpouring of support from around the country.
She said life is about "living and laughing" and that she hoped she would be able to have those things back soon.
Speaking to James O'Brien on LBC, she said she had been "totally focussing on the moment" to help her make it through after being "gripped with fear" due to the seriousness of her husband's illness.
Kate also praised the amazing work of the NHS team who kept him alive after he opened his eyes for the first time.
"Even when I called the ambulance, I tidied up the hall - it was only when the ambulance arrived I thought, gosh I can't believe I'm disturbing the ambulance.
"They came and did blood tests and said we need to go to hospital now. Even for the first week or so it all looked relatively positive even though we were worried out of our wits.
"It suddenly went wham and they said we need to put him in a coma now."
She said the situation deteriorated overnight to a point where Derek was "hanging by a thread."
"What we've all learnt is that this isn't just a lung disease, it's a virus that affects every cell in the body."
"They say he's the sickest person they've ever treated, because of the way it's affected him. He's clear of covid but he's dealing with the damage."
She said before he went into his coma he had left a note saying "this is going to be our year" - she found it when she had packed a suitcase for him.
She also revealed Derek told her to try and persuade medics to put him into a coma because of the difficulty he was having with breathing.
She said Derek's family were "in bits" and it was particularly hard for them as they have been unable to visit him.
