Kate Garraway treated for inflamed cornea – urges carers to look after themselves
Kate Garraway has been treated in hospital for an inflamed cornea – prompting her to remind carers they need to look after themselves too.
The Good Morning Britain presenter – currently a carer to her husband, who is bedbound due to a long struggle with coronavirus and its after-effects – revealed she nearly didn't seek medical help when she started suffering pain and discomfort in her eye.
Garraway said she had been reluctant to seek treatment because she wanted to help husband Derek Draper with his physiotherapy regime, but ended up being referred to Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.
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The 54-year-old TV presenter shared a picture of her red and swollen eye, captioned: "Ouch! But thanks to the brilliant @nhs team @moorfieldsuae not permanent.
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"Inflamed cornea caused probably by wearing my contacts for too long on some very long days recently. Hence the glasses on @gmb on Friday .
"And to think I nearly didn’t get it checked out as was wanting to get back home to do some physio with Derek. A further reminder if you are a carer, parent or anyone really you have to sometimes put yourself first otherwise you are no use to anyone you are trying to help. 48 hours of putting drops in every hour day AND night & I will be back on track. Hope everyone is having a lovely #sunday."
Garraway – who shares daughter Darcey, 15, and son Billy, 12, with Draper – had the ground floor of her house converted to enable her husband to return home in April after spending a year in hospital.
He contracted coronavirus in March 2020 and was placed in a medically induced coma while he underwent treatment. He suffered multiple infections and organ failure and initially failed to regain full consciousness.
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Draper is unable to move on his own and is currently going undergoing rehabilitation and requires round-the-clock care.
Garraway documented her husband's progress in the ITV factual film Finding Derek, and has also shared details of her experience as a carer in her book The Power Of Hope.
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