After being hospitalized with COVID-19 in January, Tom Daley believed his "time was over." What he secretly battled through months before the Olympics where he showed no signs of wear and tear is certainly admirable, even though it is truly scary. 

According to the  27-year-old Olympic diver, who won his first Gold for Team GB in the synchronised diving event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this summer, he battled COVID-19 and spent 10 hours in the hospital earlier this year.

Added to his secret suffering were worries that he could die and his husband will die along with him - all because of the dreaded virus.

Tom was terrified that his spouse, Dustin Lance Black, 47, might acquire coronavirus from him, since he had previously suffered from pulmonary issues, and they were anxious about what would happen to their three-year-old son Robbie if they both became sick. 

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He said his lungs felt "pressurized," as if they had "bags of rice around them" This can be read in excerpt from his forthcoming book, 'Coming Up for Air: What I learnt from Sport," as acquired by The Times newspaper. Since he did not know yet whether he had coronavirus, he said  he was compelled to get to  the testing center as soon as possible to find out. However, he had to do it really slowly and discreetly. 

"I walked there very, very slowly, diligently avoiding everyone I could," he revealed. 

"When I returned home, I felt like I'd been run over by a steamroller. Within eight hours, I received the message that I was positive," he added. 

"Lance then started feeling sick. He was terrified of Covid, due to suffering with his lungs in the past," he detailed. Both of them then started to worry about what would happen to their child Robbie if they both became very ill. 
He said he felt better for a few days before his cough worsened again. 

"My head felt like I had a vice tightening around it and my oxygen levels were dropping."

Fortunately, Tom eventually recovered completely, although he confessed that his life had flashed before his eyes. 
He said he realized that too quick, things can end for him.

"I had flashes of fear about whether I would be put on a ventilator, and my time being up. I was really terrified," he confessed. 

He spent a total of 10 days in the hospital, secretly fighting to breathe, or live. Three days after he was released, he said he started to recover. "The overwhelming feeling was a sense of relief that it was finally over," he added. 

Apart from being an athlete, he is also known as the biggest 'Crcohet Influencer" today. 

 

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