June Springall: Northern beaches grandmother a certified coronavirus survivor
June Springall, 84, a popular northern beaches’ grandmother — and mother to former Manly Sea Eagle Wayne Springall — has won her brave battle against the deadly coronavirus.
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A northern beaches’ grandmother has bravely fought off a near fatal dose of the deadly coronavirus — and has a special certificate to prove it.
June Springall, 84, has just been discharged from Northern Beaches Hospital after a four-week stay that included a stint in its COVID-19 isolation intensive care unit.
The feisty octogenarian, the mother of former Sea Eagles first grade 1978 premiership winner Wayne Springall, fell ill at her retirement village home last month.
On the way out of hospital on Friday staff gave her a round of applause and presented her with a certificate which read: “Congratulations. You did it!”
The certificate also read: “For your courage and strength surviving COVID-19. Love from all the team on 4C. We will miss you.”
She also received a handmade badge stating: “I’m a COVID-19 Survivor” and a bracelet from the staff.
Mrs Springall, who is now part way through a 10-day isolation period in her home unit, told the Manly Daily that she started having difficulty breathing and at first thought it might have been her asthma acting up.
But when a swab revealed she had COVID-19 she was immediately taken to the hospital at Frenchs Forest.
“I had acute inflammation of the lungs and asthma, the double-whammy,” Mrs Springall said.
“It was getting really hard to breathe.”
Her son Wayne said Mrs Springall was placed in the intensive care unit and put on high doses of oxygen for about a week.
“She was pretty sick,” he said. “We were getting regular calls from the doctors that her condition could get worse. It was a worry.”
Ms Springall said while she is now on the mend and in pretty good spirits, the battle against COVID-19 did hit her hard.
“It took its toll on me mentally and physically.
“Lying in the isolation unit, looking at the four walls wasn’t great.
“But the staff were absolutely terrific, I couldn’t say enough about how great they were. They were so kind and patient with me.
“They gave me this beautiful bracelet when I left. It’s going to be my good luck charm.”
Mrs Springall said health authorities were still unable to say how she caught the virus.
“The staff at the village have been doing everything right about social distancing and hygiene.”
Wayne, a plumber from Collaroy Plateau, said he and the rest of the family were looking forward to seeing his mum in person again.
I haven’t seen her in about six weeks.
“My wife and I had to come home from a holiday in Bali and into 14-day’s of isolation and them mum got sick.
“But she is a survivor, and that’s all that matters.”