Student forced to drop out of university after debilitating illness left him barely able to get out of bed
20.05.2023 - 16:49
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A student at the University of Manchester had his "life ruined" after long Covid left him permanently disabled and forced to drop out of medical school.
Dylan Kelly, 25, who studied chemistry, was an avid footballer, swimmer and gym goer before catching coronavirus in February 2020. He had just been accepted to study medicine at Queen's University Belfast and was hoping to become a doctor once he had finished.
Dylan's Covid cleared but his brain fog and fatigue persisted, so doctors diagnosed him with long Covid in May 2020, and chronic fatigue syndrome in August 2020. His long Covid caused the chronic fatigue syndrome, brain fog that makes it difficult to even understand speech, a debilitating lack of energy, nerve pain, and migraines.
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As a result of his severe symptoms, he has rejected his offer at university, can't work, and has had to give up exercise completely as he is a wheelchair bound.
Dylan, from Bangor, Northern Ireland, said: "My disability has ruined my life. I had an offer for med school which I had to turn down. I don’t have the energy to have a social conversation without my brain fog becoming so bad it feels like I can’t understand English.
"I have even less energy than before. This has left me in a wheelchair and I spend almost all my time in bed; not how I envisioned my 20's were going to be."
Dylan now has to live with his parents, Janet Force, and Gerard Kelly, both 57. Janet, a civil servant, has had to change the departments and teams she works in so she can work from home part of the time and care for Dylan.
Dylan said: "Without my mum looking after me it would be impossible to live. I’ve been keeping myself occupied with