Author Michael Rosen lay deep in a coma, totally unaware one of his biggest fans was watching over him.
Nurse Beth Dixon, 28, was caring for the writer of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt in April 2020 as Britain was gripped by the first wave of Covid.
As Michael, 75, lay in a darkened ward, guardian angel Beth put pen to paper herself, leaving a note saying: “You have done really well overnight. You are starting to move little bits which is excellent. You’ve got this!!
“Looking forward to meeting you when you wake up, you wrote my favourite book.”
That was a reference to Bear Hunt, written by Michael in 1989 and a children’s hit ever since. But it would be two years before they met – after journalists put them in touch.
Thrilled Michael said: “It was amazing to put a face to the letter, which I have looked at and read many times.
“It was magical to see her as a living person. It was a beautiful shock.”
Michael has always loved the NHS and his eight weeks in intensive care at the Whittington Hospital, North London, boosted his admiration and gratitude.
He said: “What I want to say to her is beyond a ‘thank you’. If you say ‘thank you for saving my life’, ‘thank you for looking after me’ it seems so inadequate because you say thank you when passed a piece of toast. But every part of me is full of gratitude and affection for Beth and all the others who looked after me.
“I actually haven’t got the words.”
Modest Beth, who hails from Sheffield and usually treats children at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital, said: It’s overwhelming, it’s really nice to see how well he has recovered because we didn’t get to see that after people left the ward.
“Care means doing anything you can do to make them feel better. It meant holding their hand, talking to them because they had no one else with them. Holding a hand can be a very moving thing.”
Michael still suffers long Covid symptoms and says the No10 Partygate scandal has “rubbed salt in the wound” for those who followed the rules.
He added: “It’s horrible what they did. There was a period when I came out of the coma and was learning to walk. I was confused and couldn’t understand why I wasn’t seeing my family. Meanwhile, Boris was having a birthday party.”
