Last Sunday we honored our health care heroes, clinicians, physicians and staff members who have tirelessly worked on the front lines of this pandemic. AdventHealth’s socially distanced Drive-In to The Holidays Event raised funds to benefit COVID-19 research. Contributions from this event will help provide the best treatments to critically ill patients and develop protocols that will keep us on the cutting-edge of COVID-19 research.
One of those critically ill patients in our care was Cody, an otherwise healthy 32-year-old with no pre-existing conditions, who suddenly started experiencing COVID symptoms after a normal day at work. Cody had dinner with his girlfriend and then woke up the next day with a fever.
Two to three days later, Cody was extremely sick, “They first told me I had a sinus infection. Finally, they tested me for Covid-19, and it was positive. It was the worst pain and suffering I’ve ever had to go through. I couldn’t breathe, eat or sleep. It felt like being under water.”
Cody admitted himself to the ER and after his symptoms took a turn for the worse, doctors decided on a treatment plan that included plasma transfusions and the medication Remdesivir.
Then it was clear that Cody needed to be sedated into a coma. His father said his nose and ears were blue as he called his family to say his goodbyes. That’s when he was airlifted to AdventHealth Orlando and put on a ventilator in a coma for 39 days. Cody describes waking up after that long, “I couldn’t lift my arms or my legs.” In addition to surviving COVID-19, he also had a blood clot in his heart and leg, along with two bacterial pneumonias. But finally, his condition started to improve until he was discharged from the hospital on August 14, 2020.
The road to recovery has been long and slow, with many bumps on the way. He attends an AdventHealth rehab center weekly and is going to see a pulmonologist for his lung issues. His voice is still hoarse from the ventilator but at the end of the day, he says the doctors and nurses at AdventHealth saved his life.
“I know the severity of what I went through and am very fortunate. My girlfriend has been my rock. I’ve had an overwhelming amount of support. I’d like to tell the medical team thank you for saving my life, there are so many amazing people in the medical field. It makes me speechless to know how selfless they can be.” Said Cody.
Our community along with the world is still facing hardships from the Covid-19 pandemic, but we’ve learned so much about the strength of the human spirit. Our faith guides us, our hope gives us optimism for a better future and our love for others is the heart of the AdventHealth mission—to extend the healing ministry of Christ.
Make a donation to support lifesaving COVID-19 research here.
