Former Green Party leader was ‘on brink of suffocation’
THE FORMER leader of the Wales Green Party says she has been “on the brink of suffocation” with coronavirus, as she urges others to follow the guidelines.
Pippa Bartolotti, who lives in Newport, has been sharing her experiences of having the virus as she recovers at home.
The 67-year-old said she was healthy and had no underlying conditions before she contracted the disease.
“Twice my fingers have hovered over the 999 call,” she said.
“Twice I have felt so violently on the brink of suffocation, laying face down on the bed, clawing at the covers, having failed to find the strength to even dress myself.
“I am a healthy, strong, robust woman with no underlying issues.”
Ms Bartolotti said: “There have been days when I wondered what giving up would look like, just letting it flood over me.”
Even on some days the effort to wash was “too much”, she said, “and I go back to bed, head splitting, heart pounding, lungs gasping like a marathon runner after a sprint finish”.
But she says she is now beginning to recover from the virus.
“Recovery looks like being able to go up four steps of your staircase before having to stop and gasp for air,” said Ms Bartolotti, who led the Wales Green Party from 2012 to 2016 .
“It’s a measurable improvement.
“We are both very weak, Covid and I. But I have the stronger will.”
She urged people to wear a mask, keep to social distancing and follow the guidelines.
“I don’t want sympathy. I want you to wear a mask and keep your distance,” she wrote on Facebook.
“If sharing this will save a life, do it.”