A LOVING husband has revealed how he said his final goodbye to his wife after a horrific ten-month battle with a disease which nearly claimed his life four times.

Ray Snow, 52, from Benfleet, was diagnosed with severe acute pancreatitis in March last year after a gallstone got trapped in his pancreas.

In April, Ray then contracted Covid-19 and spent several weeks in hospital while still battling with inflamed organs caused by the disease.

Ray went into hospital 19 times during his health scare and in that time his pancreas grew to the size of a small melon.

He also contracted sepsis three times while 94 per cent of his pancreas “died”.

He remembered the day he thought he was saying his final goodbye to his wife Jackie.

Ray said: “I went in for routine and Jackie said to me how do you feel and I said I just don’t feel right.

“They said I was in a really bad way.

“Normally during lockdown people weren’t allowed in but we had gone past that argument.The hospital said I was close to death. I was told by my consultant that I should have died four times.

“I looked at my Jackie and she looked at me and I could see she was being brave but I thought ‘this is it’ and I kissed her goodbye.

“We genuinely thought this was going to be the last time we were going to see each other.”

Echo: Ray and Jackie Snow Ray and Jackie Snow

Talking about the moment he finally came home one week from Christmas, Ray said: “That was fantastic when she picked me up from hospital.

“It was at that point I needed a hug and we just cried because I was alive.”

Ray is now raising money for GUTS UK by riding 748 miles virtually on a static turbo trainer.

Ray added: “The consultant told me they had no treatment for it. That really had me. There’s one in five people that die from pancreatitis.

“I want to prevent others from dying from pancreatitis.”

To donate, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ray-e-snow