A delighted dad has hailed a new antiviral Covid drug for giving him the chance to watch his teenage daughter score a try for Stirling County at the home of Scottish rugby.
Nicole Flynn - who also plays for the Scotland under-18 women’s side - was taking part in the national final for the Bridgehaugh side at Murrayfield on March 27.
But dad Mike, a martial arts instructor, faced the heartbreak of missing out on the occasion after testing positive for the virus on the eve of the big match.
However, the 65-year-old - originally from the San Francisco area of the US - was eligible for the antiviral treatment because he has chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.
Mike had to take two different types of pills for five days, three in the morning and three at night, which helped speed his recovery.
Mike said: “I woke up on the Monday with some flu-like symptoms including feeling muscle-tired and a sore throat so I went for a Covid-19 test.
“My daughter had tested positive a few days before. I got my positive test result back on the Tuesday morning. I had a letter from the NHS saying that I might be eligible for Covid treatment as I have a compromised immune system so I called the number that morning.
“By 1.30pm a courier had delivered the medication direct to my house and I took the first dose straight away.
“By the next morning I still had a sore throat but all my other symptoms had gone and I began feeling a lot better and could feel the benefit of the pills. It was magic.”
The treatment allowed him to take his seat in the stands as Nicole and her teammates produced a sparkling display in the National Youth Cup Final fixture, defeating Edinburgh Harlequins 69-12 - with Nicole notching the opening score of the game.
Mike added: “I took my lateral flow tests on day six and seven and both were negative, so I was able to make it to see my daughter Nicole playing a rugby cup final at Murrayfield and the next day I was back teaching martial arts.
“The following week she came off the bench to score the winning try for Scotland under-18s against Italy.
“It was a lucky break I was able to come out of Covid isolation in time to see Nicole score a try in the final. I think that was down to the treatment too for helping me recover so quickly.”
