A man with Down’s syndrome who was given 24 hours to live has beaten coronavirus.

Ben McCafferty, 34, battled the virus for two weeks before being given the all clear and getting discharged on Saturday.

Touching footage shows the moment Ben spots his mum, Di Margerison, in the ward, before giving her a big hug.

Di said: ‘I didn’t think he would make it. It was the longest we had ever been apart.

‘The care he received at the hospital saved his life. I couldn’t be more thankful.’

Ben was admitted to Bradford Teaching Hospitals on April 4 after displaying early symptoms of coronavirus.

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His health rapidly deteriorated and he was moved into palliative care. His mum and stepdad Neil, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, were left with little hope that he would recover.

Di stayed with Ben on his first night in hospital, but due to coronavirus restrictions the hospital had to stop visitors coming to and from the hospital.

Neil slept on a camp bed by his side for more than two weeks, never leaving the room.

Ben’s condition was so severe that at one stage he was given 24 hours to live but he managed to survive.

Di said their reunion at the entrance to the hospital left her speechless and ‘emotional’.

She said: ‘I was just overwhelmed. I had only seen him over WhatsApp and that kind of thing but I couldn’t be with him due to the restrictions.

‘We just had a huge hug. I never expected it to happen.’

Ben made a huge impression on the staff at the hospital, according Bradford Teaching Hospitals’ Head of Nursing Karen Dawber.

She described his stepdad Neil as a ‘saint’ and reiterated the fact that Ben was not expected to make a recovery and had defied all of the odds.

Karen said: ‘We just made him comfortable on a camp bed with his step dad. We saw him start to get better.

‘He was being looked after on our end of life ward. He was laughing and joking with the nurses.

‘At one point we thought he would not make it another 24 hours. When he got discharged, 50 or 60 staff greeted him on his way out.

‘He was very popular and I am just glad he has made such an amazing recovery.’

Karen has urged the public to stay at home to prevent further spread of the disease.

However, she said anybody with symptoms of any illness should not be frightened to check into hospital and used Ben’s story as an example of incredible recovery.

She said: ‘Don’t be frightened to admit yourself to hospital if you are unwell. Please still come.

‘People can still recover, Ben proves that.’

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