Family give major update on man fighting for his life after his wife died from same deadly virus

A father who was left fighting for his life after contracting the flu is 'on the mend', his family says.

John Leonard contracted influenza-A shortly after his wife Maria Packe-Leonard did so earlier this year.

For Maria, a nurse, the illness turned fatal and she tragically died in July 21, just ten days after initial symptoms developed.

The day prior to her untimely passing the New Zealand mom had taken herself to hospital but was later discharged.

Maria Packe-Leonard, pictured with her husband John, died in July (Give A Little)

While Maria is believed to have died from the virus, John has been fighting for his life ever since and has placed in an induced coma after being airlifted Wellington to Auckland for specialist care because of the damage the virus had caused in his lungs.

According to his family, the father-of-two has nearly died 'on several occasions' but in a positive update, John is now able to communicate with medical staff and his loved ones.

As of August 21, John was back at Wellington Hospital and was 'recovering fast daily'.

The most recent update shared on Tuesday (August 27) to a Give A Little page set up for the Leonard family read: "Well John Leonard is a fighter alright, he as come back from very close to death on several occasions.

John and Maria share two teenage sons, Jed and Sam (Give A Little)

"Currently he is still in ICU so still very sick but is on the mend.

"We have to limit the visitors so he can rest but he can read your kind words of support on his phone.

"Thanks to everyone for your continued support and kindness."

The fundraising page update continued: "We are moving to another phase for Maria Packe Leonard's funeral arrangements and will keep everyone informed once we have more detail."

The poster proceeded to thank people for their donations, which is going towards helping Maria and John's teenage sons afford day-to-day necessities.

At the time of writing, a staggering $77,000 has been raised.

John is now in the ICU at Wellington Regional Hospital (Getty Stock)

Elsewhere, John's brother-in-law Darrell Packe said that the critically ill father was cracking jokes the moment he woke up from his coma.

"The first thing he said to the boys was ‘I’ve got a square bum’,” Darrell shared with The New Zealand Herald.

He added that John being able to communicate again has been 'very, very special for everyone involved' - especially his sons Jed, 15, and Sam, 14.

While John is making positive progress, Darrell went on to say that he's still got a way to go before making a full recovery.