A MIRACLE woman 'came back from the dead' thanks to a care home's 'guardian angels' - and a cure of Guinness and raw eggs.
Maggie Ives was so ill at the time she does not even remember coming into Henwick Grange care home in Hallow Road, Worcester.
When she first arrived her family was preparing for her funeral and staff feared the worst.
Now the irrepressible Mrs Ives is loving life again after a transformation which has confounded medics and astonished care home staff.
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The 78-year-old former nurse, who worked at the former Worcester Infirmary in Castle Street for 15 years, describes herself as a 'medical miracle', although staff, who call her a real character, point to her natural fighting spirit.
She is battling chronic kidney disease, Parkinson's and cardiovascular disease.
Mrs Ives, taken into the home for palliative care, said: "Subie, the lady who admitted me, said her goodbyes to me that night. She did not expect to see me in the morning. I'm a medical miracle. I feel like I've come back from the dead."
Sitting in the garden of the home, she now has a tan and her hair has returned to its natural blonde colour.
The Madresfield-born mum was living in sheltered accommodation in Storer Court in Barnards Green, near Malvern, when she developed the painful bone infection osteomyelitis after breaking her pelvis.
Mrs Ives, who has been smoking for 65 years, said: "I had 133 different antibiotics by drip. I didn't even know where I was.
"I don't remember the ambulance man coming and taking me away or anything.
"I can't even tell you what hospital I was in. All I can tell you is I was in there 22 weeks. I kept coming and going, slipping in and out of consciousness.
"I was hallucinating. I was at end of life. My brother and sister were called in so they could register my death and go to the undertaker."
When asked what the secret had been to her survival she cited the 'phenomenal' care she received from the care home staff from Bondcare.
Mrs Ives, a former barmaid at the Horn and Trumpet in the city centre, added: "I'm a great believer in raw eggs and Guinness - I swear by it.
"You don't even taste the eggs at all. You just swallow them down. I've been doing that quite a long time."
Susan Mitchell, known as Subie, a nurse assistant and acting deputy manager, said: "She was palliative, end of life. She just improved and improved. She is so strong. I'm impressed by her spirit."
She said she had never seen so dramatic a turnaround before.
Mrs Ives, who turns 79 on September 5 this year, was quick to praise staff. She said: "I can't fault the staff here from the laundry lady to the cleaners and from the carers to the management. Whatever food I want, I order. If I want scampi every day, I have scampi every day.
"They're all very kind. I'm even walking again now. I haven't walked for two years. I'm staying here until they kick me out. This is my home. They are angels to me. I feel as happy and as strong as I have felt in years."
Lisa Odlin, business development manager, said: "Our ethos is for our home to be a home from home. We have a positive, open and welcoming culture."
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