An artist whose heart stopped beating for 25 minutes after he contracted Covid-19 and fell into a coma, causing him to lose a quarter of his bodyweight and the ability to walk, has expressed immense gratitude for his “beautiful” life after he survived. Alexandros Kapraras was diagnosed with Covid-19 in July 2021, and he last remembers collapsing to his knees in hospital in extreme pain before falling into a five-week coma.
The 60-year-old, who lives in London, next remembers waking up in September, unable to move or speak initially, and he was told by doctors his heart had stopped beating for 25 minutes while he was unconscious. Alexandros said he was “paralysed” and “completely disabled” after he woke up, as he had lost 25% of his bodyweight – even after being discharged from hospital six months later, he still could not walk.
However, more than one year later, Alexandros is once again enjoying painting, going on walks with his dog, and seeing his friends, and he wishes to give the message: “Never give up, just make your life long.”
“Life is beautiful; it depends how you’re going to take it,” he said. “Just leave things behind, things that trouble you. You don’t need a lot of money, you don’t need a lot of time to enjoy things, but choose the things that you are going to really enjoy.
“For me, seeing people, seeing friends, chatting, and coming back (home) – these things give you the fuse to keep you up and your energy is stronger. Enjoy the people who are around, enjoy the dogs that are running around, and life is beautiful.”
Alexandros, who was born and raised in Cyprus, moved to London in 1993 after studying at Athens School of Fine Arts in Greece, becoming a permanent resident at Wembley Park in London. He initially came to London to complete a master’s degree in fine art at the Royal College of Art, and he decided to stay after graduating due to the quality of life the city provided.
Alexandros spent his days painting, sculpting and visiting the London Designer Outlet in Wembley with his beloved rescue dog, Giannis, who he adopted in 2013. However, when “the Covid disaster came around” and he was admitted to hospital with the disease in July 2021, his life changed dramatically.
Speaking about the moments before falling unconscious, he said: “I try to get up from my bed and I feel a pain, and the last thing I remember, I was knees down to the floor. I remember I was kicking, but I don’t remember if I was kicking the floor or kicking my chest because it was extremely painful.
“And that’s it, I remember nothing else.”
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Alexandros remained unconscious for five weeks at Northwick Park Hospital, in Harrow, and while he was unconscious his heart stopped beating for a total of 25 minutes. To this day, doctors have told him they are “really very shocked (he is) still alive”.
“When I woke up, it was the beginning of September,” he said. "I was wondering if I have brain damage; at the time I tried to communicate (but) it was not possible because of the tubes (down my throat) and you don’t have a voice. At the same, you’re paralysed; you cannot move even your hands.”
He continued: “The (doctors) explained to me that ‘you know you were dead’. I could not really say anything because, I thought, what are you talking about? Then they told me what had happened over all of these days.”
After waking up from the coma, Alexandros said he was “completely disabled” and did not have “any muscles” as he had lost 25% of his bodyweight. Alexandros remained at the hospital for six months in total and spent 77 days in the intensive care unit (ICU) before being discharged in December 2021.
Even after Alexandros had been discharged, he still could not walk; however, his friends rallied around, helping him to move again and begin painting once more. “My friends were helping me in the beginning by bringing food and coming to see me and encouraging me in any way,” Alexandros explained.
“(They) encouraged me to start working again, to do my own paintings, my own research, and then slowly, slowly take me out from the house because I wasn’t able to walk.”
However, Alexandros was not content with the rate of his progress, and so he took matters into his own hands. “They took me down to the street and I came back, and the next day, I said, ‘no, I’m going to try to do it myself’,” he said.
“I went down to the end of the road, I came back – of course, it took me about two hours to do that – and then after two days, I said, ‘no, I’m going to go down the hill.’ I came back. And after five days, I said, ‘no, I’m going to go for a coffee now’.”
Over time, and with support from his friends, Alexandros learnt to walk again; he said he just “wanted to survive, (he) wanted to enjoy things”.
Alexandros said he gets fatigued very easily, is taking several medications to manage his health, and has to go to hospital for check-ups every six months but overall he said he feels “happy”. Now, he visits his friends on a regular basis and takes Giannis for a walk daily – an activity he loves.
Despite the severity of his illness, Alexandros’ outlook on life remains positive and he wishes to inspire others to enjoy life. “Just make your life long, enjoy it. If you enjoy, it’s going to be long,” he said.
“Just smile. Problems are always there, one way or the other way. Go out and make things; if you make things, you live longer. Life is beautiful… and if you see the life from the nice side, you’re not going to have any problems.”
Alexandros is one of many residents speaking out as part of London Designer Outlet’s new ‘Style Has No Limit’ campaign, representing the diverse, dynamic, and unique people of Wembley Park. To find out more, visit: LondonDesignerOutlet.com
