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| Covid: Aberdare woman, 22, lost her hair and thought she would die | Covid: Aberdare woman, 22, lost her hair and thought she would die |
| (3 months later) | |
| This video can not be played | This video can not be played |
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| Covid left woman, 22, in five-day coma | Covid left woman, 22, in five-day coma |
| Covid left woman, 22, in five-day coma | Covid left woman, 22, in five-day coma |
| A woman left terrified when she caught Covid at 22 said she thought she was going to die. | A woman left terrified when she caught Covid at 22 said she thought she was going to die. |
| Ffion Barnett, of Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, was so ill she was put in an induced coma for five days. | Ffion Barnett, of Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, was so ill she was put in an induced coma for five days. |
| She lost her hair and had to learn to walk again after testing positive two days after her birthday in August. | She lost her hair and had to learn to walk again after testing positive two days after her birthday in August. |
| Ms Barnett, who works as a waitress, had not been vaccinated and still thinks people should make the "best choice that's personal to them". | Ms Barnett, who works as a waitress, had not been vaccinated and still thinks people should make the "best choice that's personal to them". |
| She has since been vaccinated herself. | She has since been vaccinated herself. |
| When she fell ill she had no underlying health conditions. | When she fell ill she had no underlying health conditions. |
| Within days she was struggling to breathe and was admitted to the Royal Glamorgan hospital. | Within days she was struggling to breathe and was admitted to the Royal Glamorgan hospital. |
| Teen who had virus urges youngsters to get jabbed | Teen who had virus urges youngsters to get jabbed |
| Drop restrictions to pre-Omicron levels, urges expert | Drop restrictions to pre-Omicron levels, urges expert |
| PCR tests not required for asymptomatic cases | PCR tests not required for asymptomatic cases |
| "It's scary, and you do think you are going to die when you can't breathe, and the machines around you are beeping," she said. | "It's scary, and you do think you are going to die when you can't breathe, and the machines around you are beeping," she said. |
| After going into intensive care she was put into a coma. | After going into intensive care she was put into a coma. |
| Ms Barnett said: "Because my heart rate was too high, it was like 180 and I was at risk of cardiac arrest, they said, 'Right we're going to have to put her under'." | Ms Barnett said: "Because my heart rate was too high, it was like 180 and I was at risk of cardiac arrest, they said, 'Right we're going to have to put her under'." |
| "So they took the breathing away for me. | "So they took the breathing away for me. |
| "I was on 100% oxygen at that time because I was breathing so hard. I was in the coma for five days." | "I was on 100% oxygen at that time because I was breathing so hard. I was in the coma for five days." |
| Ffion Barnett was so ill she was put in an induced coma for five days | Ffion Barnett was so ill she was put in an induced coma for five days |
| When she was brought back around Ms Barnett had to learn to walk again. | When she was brought back around Ms Barnett had to learn to walk again. |
| She then returned home to her family where she needed round-the-clock care. | She then returned home to her family where she needed round-the-clock care. |
| "I had to have people there to make me food and all that sort of stuff so my family took it in shifts," Ms Barnett said. | "I had to have people there to make me food and all that sort of stuff so my family took it in shifts," Ms Barnett said. |
| "It took a month-and-a-half to get back to walking normally without feeling like I had weights on my legs. | "It took a month-and-a-half to get back to walking normally without feeling like I had weights on my legs. |
| "And psychologically I started to get better from then, with help from counsellors." | "And psychologically I started to get better from then, with help from counsellors." |
| When Ms Barnett, who works in Cardiff, became sick her hair fell out. It has only recently started to grow back properly. | When Ms Barnett, who works in Cardiff, became sick her hair fell out. It has only recently started to grow back properly. |
| "It's starting to grow back now luckily but it was insane because I had long thick hair and it just kept coming out," she said. | "It's starting to grow back now luckily but it was insane because I had long thick hair and it just kept coming out," she said. |
| Fatigue has been a lasting effect. | Fatigue has been a lasting effect. |
| "It doesn't seem to be getting better either," she said. | "It doesn't seem to be getting better either," she said. |
| When she became ill Ms Barnett had not decided whether she would get vaccinated, though she had been invited to. | When she became ill Ms Barnett had not decided whether she would get vaccinated, though she had been invited to. |
| Ffion Barnett lost her hair when she became ill | Ffion Barnett lost her hair when she became ill |
| "I was called up to have my vaccine and I was still making my decision on it at the time," she said. | "I was called up to have my vaccine and I was still making my decision on it at the time," she said. |
| "While I was in that thought process, I caught Covid. I was actually leaning towards having the vaccine anyway, but I caught Covid, and it was just really bad timing." | "While I was in that thought process, I caught Covid. I was actually leaning towards having the vaccine anyway, but I caught Covid, and it was just really bad timing." |
| Ms Barnett wants young people to understand how hard they can be hit by Covid. | Ms Barnett wants young people to understand how hard they can be hit by Covid. |
| "They can get it quite severely," she said. | "They can get it quite severely," she said. |
| "While my organs weren't failing it still wasn't a nice thing to go through, and hopefully people can avoid that by wearing their masks or getting jabbed. | "While my organs weren't failing it still wasn't a nice thing to go through, and hopefully people can avoid that by wearing their masks or getting jabbed. |
| "People need to make their own choice, and work through each and every argument if they don't want to get vaxxed, and see it from both sides." | "People need to make their own choice, and work through each and every argument if they don't want to get vaxxed, and see it from both sides." |
| People, she believed, should "stay away from being biased by one side or the other". | People, she believed, should "stay away from being biased by one side or the other". |
| "I think people need to look at all the facts and just decide what's best for them," she said. | "I think people need to look at all the facts and just decide what's best for them," she said. |
| Ms Barnett said she could understand why some people were reluctant to be vaccinated. | Ms Barnett said she could understand why some people were reluctant to be vaccinated. |
| "People are just ultimately scared," she said. | "People are just ultimately scared," she said. |
| "I think they should consider both sides of the argument and make that best choice that's personal to them," she said. | "I think they should consider both sides of the argument and make that best choice that's personal to them," she said. |
| It's a long way from what it was before she caught coronavirus | It's a long way from what it was before she caught coronavirus |
| Describing herself as "vulnerable", she said she was now vaccinated. | Describing herself as "vulnerable", she said she was now vaccinated. |
| "There's nothing else out there to protect yourself with so its the only way I feel a little bit safer I suppose," she said. | "There's nothing else out there to protect yourself with so its the only way I feel a little bit safer I suppose," she said. |
| HAYLEY PEARCE PODCAST : Tackling the issues that make your group chats go off | HAYLEY PEARCE PODCAST : Tackling the issues that make your group chats go off |
| COMING OUT: From secrets to social media, conversations from the LGBTQ+ community in Wales | COMING OUT: From secrets to social media, conversations from the LGBTQ+ community in Wales |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Wales | |
| Coronavirus vaccines | Coronavirus vaccines |
| Aberdare | Aberdare |
| Cardiff | Cardiff |
| Coronavirus pandemic | Coronavirus pandemic |