Ward Nine

Two of the patients in my room were put onto trolleys and taken out, and then two more women wheeled in. 'This is now a Coronavirus ward,' said Susan. Alys Morgan was admitted to hospital on the 19th of April 2020, with an unexplained sickness which had left her too weak to move. The next day she was diagnosed with Covid-19, but her symptoms were unfamiliar to NHS staff already battling a new and unfamiliar viral killer. This is one woman's account of a pandemic no-one was prepared for, told from the bed of an overcrowded North Wales hospital. It's a story of isolation and survival, mothers and daughters, love and loss. It's a warning to us all; an urge to learn, understand and come together against a 'faceless enemy' which is here to stay. This journal is testament to everything we owe those providing care - and comfort - on the new front line.

Alys Morgan grew up in the West Midlands, and like many people from that area, has English, Welsh and Irish ancestry. She returned to live in North Wales when she married, and writes under a pen name reflecting her Welsher roots. She is a retired teacher and librarian who lives in North Wales, and enjoys reading, writing and walking. A survivor of Covid, she considers she owes everything to NHS Wales and MIND, who cured her body and soul. This book is a love letter to both of them.