DUPAGE COUNTY, Illinois (WLS) – A 25-year-old COVID-19 survivor is lucky to be alive. Doctors said he almost died three times in the four months he was hospitalized with the virus.
Jason Barbosa, 25, met the doctor who saved his life after he contracted COVID-19 for the first time on Monday. The last time Dr. Jeffrey Huml of Northwestern Medicine had seen Barbosa, the young man was unconscious; the virus forced him into a coma for six weeks.
“For some reason, you had another chance,” said Huml to Barbosa. “I’m surprised … It really is a miracle.”
Barbosa says his entire body has paralyzed and the virus has almost killed him on several occasions.
“They told my family to come and say goodbye to me three times because they were going to disconnect me,” he said.
But the 25-year-old survived and is on the long road to recovery. He was discharged from DuPage Central Hospital last August after spending almost four months there, but he still needs to check in frequently while dealing with the side effects of the virus.
Barbosa says he hopes to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible and see his immediate family. His wife, two children and parents are all in Mexico and were unable to visit him.
“When I woke up, it was the first thing that came to mind: wanting to survive, wanting to be positive so I could be there for them,” he said.
Huml says that Barbosa’s case should serve as a warning, since he is young and had no pre-existing health problems, but suffered serious complications with COVID-19.
“Young people also need to take this very seriously. Every day … people die of viruses, ”said Huml.
At its peak, Central DuPage was treating 111 COVID-19 patients. Now the number has dropped to about 25, but doctors say it is important to remember that the threat of serious illness or even death remains.
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