'I lost 80% of my lung capacity after Covid coma'

A man who lost 80% of his lung capacity after having coronavirus has said there is "no point moaning" about it and he still feels "lucky" to be alive.

Esse Khanzadeh, from Cheadle in Greater Manchester, contracted Covid-19 in 2020 and spent five months in a coma on a ventilator.

The 63-year-old left Wythenshawe Hospital with a guard of honour as NHS staff clapped and cheered over his recovery, but five years later the lasting effects of the virus means he can only leave his home for short periods.

He said he had to sleep upright and could never plan a whole day out with family and friends, but "I do what I can, when I can".

Five years on from the pandemic, Mr Khanzadeh said: "There's very little you can do when over 80% of your lungs are gone.

"I am not a moaner who can sit here and moan about this and that but there's no point.

"A lot of activities which I used to love I can't do anymore".

Mr Khanzadeh has oxygen tubes which reach around his home.

He said his "biggest enemy" was cold weather as his oxygen concentrator needed to be set higher, giving him a maximum of three hours breathing time.

"Planning your whole day out with your family and friends I can never do that," he said.

The former property manager relies on Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and universal credit to live, adding there are "good days, and there are better days".

But he sleeps no more than a few hours at a time sitting up because he said lying down makes breathing even harder.

"I can feel my lungs have got worse," he added.

"Sometimes I do feel angry over what has happened to me and I ask 'why', and then I think of those people who did not make it and those people who need 24/7 care because of it and I tell myself, 'you are the lucky one'."

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