Covid, being put in an induced coma, pneumonia, multiple organ failures and a stroke – Kilwinning’s Mary-anne Tennant is the first to admit she “shouldn’t be here”.

But the brave gran sat down with the Herald, surrounded by her loving family, and shared her incredible story.

December 19, 2020 saw her placed into an induced coma, days after she tested positive for Covid-19.

Mary-anne said: “They (her family) suffered more than I did. I’ve had the side effects and it happened to me, but I remember nothing.”

Her daughter Tracy-anne Tennant revealed just how close she was to losing her mum, who she was reduced to only seeing over video calls, due to Covid regulations.

She said: “I phoned every four hours because we were a mess. We got phoned up one day saying she wasn’t going to make it and to come up to the relatives’ room.”

Mary-anne went through a lot in the resultant months, including a stroke and multiple organ failures – all while still in an induced coma.

Four months on and she was out, and she arrived home to a street filled with family and friends, cheering her return,

“It was absolutely amazing,” she said. “My whole outlook on life has totally changed.

“They asked me what I wanted them to do before they put me in the coma – I said I just want to see my grandkids grow up, and now I’m here to see my grandkids grow up.”

She has more than defeated the odds, and said even the hospital’s coma experts “couldn’t believe they were sitting talking to her”. She has a lot to be grateful for now, including the work of her doctors.

She said: “They definitely did save my life – I shouldn’t be here.”

She’s also so grateful to her family, saying: “They do so much for me. If I need anything they’re there.”

It’s been a long road – having to learn to walk and feed herself again, and survivors’ guilt is prominent.

Mary-anne explained: “All these healthy people have died, I shouldn’t be here.”

She also had a strong message about Covid and warned: “I’m sick of people saying it’s all a hoax. It’s not a joke.”