A MIRACLE man who spent more than 40 days on a ventilator battling coronavirus has been left fighting lung disease at home.

Felix Khor, 68, from Shoebury, is now fighting fibrosis in his lungs after beating the deadly virus and staying in hospital for months – but feels lucky to be alive.

He returned home in June after fighting the virus, following decades of dedicated service at Southend Hospital.

He said: “I can manage to walk quite well now but still struggle a bit climbing the stairs. I also get short of breath but when I stop and rest I can get my breath back.

“I have lots of pain in my shoulder and pins and needles in my fingers most of the time which are due to being on the ventilator for so long. I was in a lot of pain with the shoulder at night and was struggling to sleep but it’s getting better.”

He is spending his time gardening because he has “lots to catch up on”.

Felix added: “Some of the hospital staff have been checking up on me and always say ‘hello’ when I go for hospital check-ups too.

“I’ve been really touched by it and didn’t know how many people loved me and liked me.

“I don’t know if I will be back to normal and it can take about a year to fully recover but things have changed so much with treatment and how patients are dealt with since I caught the virus.

“I am feeling much better in myself but am impatient and want to get better and back to normal much quicker than I am.

“I have fibrosis on my lungs and am having checks for it.”

Doctors originally gave the nurse less than a 15 per cent chance of surviving Covid-19. On May 19 the inspirational nurse was moved out of intensive care.

In a heartwarming video posted on social media, Mr Khor was given a standing ovation and round of applause as he was wheeled out of the intensive care unit at Southend Hospital.

Felix had been on a ventilator for five weeks as he fought against coronavirus and had been inside the ITU for more than six weeks.

The nurse had retired from his role as the hospital resuscitation officer but returned to the hospital’s A&E unit and had helped in the frontline battle of the pandemic.

Mr Khor said: “I feel extremely lucky to be alive and think I had a lucky escape. I am coping well and friends are coming to help me around the garden with very heavy jobs – but I can manage almost everything on my own.”

Back in May, a close friend of Felix, Linda Leaks, from Southchurch, revealed Mr Khor had raised fears in mid-March over the personal protection equipment on offer to staff treating Covid-19 patients.

However, a spokesman for Southend Hospital said there had always been sufficient stocks of protective equipment.