Coronavirus: Elderly Irish man inspires others after battle

Paddy Joe Lynch from Co Roscommon is being hailed as an inspiration after the 82-year-old beat a coronavirus diagnosis.

Irish man Paddy Joe Lynch is urging others like himself to have hope in the midst of the frightening coronavirus pandemic.

Lynch, an 82-year-old retired farmer in Co Roscommon, was recently discharged from Sligo University Hospital where he spent ten days in isolation battling the disease.

Speaking with RTE News, Lynch said that during his time in the hospital, he thought he might have been at the end of his life.

An 82-year-old Roscommon man who was hospitalised with Covid-19 for ten days says that elderly people should remain as positive as possible in their outlook during the present crisis pic.twitter.com/VqZV6qHbF3
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) April 3, 2020

Making his diagnosis more serious were Lynch’s underlying conditions of angina, COPD, kidney disease, and some heart problems.

Despite the odds seemingly being against the 82-year-old, Lynch is now at home resting after spending 10 days at Sligo University Hospital, where the Irish man says he received great care.

“I was delighted when the doctor said she had no hesitation in sending me home, that I made a great recovery,” Lynch told RTE News. “I tell ya, that was better than winning the lotto.

“But I hope it gives hope to some people that are in my position. I have a lot of underlying complaints, like kidney disease. Thank god I recovered.”

Lynch, who has six children, seven grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren with another one on the way, was lucky to have a strong family support system during his diagnosis.

On April 1, Anne Tiernan, one of Lynch’s grandchildren, shared this heartwarming post on Facebook of her grandad being discharged from Sligo University Hospital:

I just had to share this photo.. It makes me so proud and so happy and it's also a bit of positivity in such a negative...
Publiée par Anne Tiernan sur Mercredi 1 avril 2020

She wrote: "I just had to share this photo. It makes me so proud and so happy and it's also a bit of positivity in such a negative time.

“This is a picture of my 82 year old grandad who is leaving hospital after fighting the corona virus like the boss that he is!

“With the help of the wonderful staff of course we can't thank them all enough.”

Tiernan has since told IrishCentral that her grandad is “very tired but very happy and comfortable at home in his own corner.”

Separately, Lynch told RTE Radio's Ray D'Arcy Show on April 3: “I’m very lucky, I’m very lucky, thank God, I’m lucky.

“I feel okay now, I have no pain. I’m not sick, very weak, but apart from that, I’m in great form."

Lynch says that other people like him have to hope if faced with the battle: “A lot of people my age are scared, but thank god now, my advice is that it can be beat.

“There is hope. You will lose hope when you get it first, but then you’ll just say, ‘I’ll do my best to fight this.’”

Lynch had high praise for the care he received at Sligo University Hospital: “The nurses were exceptionally good. The hospital staff were fantastic.”

Former President of Ireland Mary McAleese was also featured on the Ray D'Arcy Show praising Lynch and noting that his story is a much-needed bit of good news for Ireland's elderly community.

“I think Paddy Joe’s story is fantastic,” McAleese said, noting that Ireland's senior citizens may have grown fearful during the pandemic.

“To hear Paddy Joe’s story will definitely lift their spirits today,” McAleese said. “I think the best reassurance they’ve gotten in a while now is from Paddy Joe Lynch.”