METEOROLOGIST TOM SORRELLS. THIS IS NEWS 6 AT 5.30, GETTING RESULTS.
>> MATT: A LOCAL MAN WAS ONE
OF THE FIRST PEOPLE TO REALLY
PUT A FACE ON THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC. HE ILLUSTRATED EARLY
ON WHAT THIS VIRUS WOULD
EVENTUALLY DO TO HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF OTHERS THAT KEVIN
RATHEL AND HIS WIFE STACY BOTH
WENT TO THE HOSPITAL WITH
SYMPTOMS. SHE WAS ALLOWED TO
GO HOME. BUT DOCTORS AT
ORLANDO HEALTH ADMITTED KEVIN
TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE HE WOULD
SOON BE PUT AND A MEDICALLY
INDUCED COMA. IT WAS ONE YEAR
AGO TODAY. KEVIN CAME OUT OF
HIS COMA AND BEGAN TO FIGHT
FOR HIS LIFE. YEAH, IT’S A
FIGHT HE CONTINUES TO THIS DAY
BECAUSE HE STILL HAS SYMPTOMS
FROM THE VIRUS THAT HAS TAKEN
AND CHANGED SO MANY LIVES.
>> THE RAFFLES BOTH LOOK LIKE
THE PICTURE OF HEALTH. SO IT’S
HARD TO BELIEVE THIS WAS
KEVIN. EXACTLY ONE YEAR AGO
THIS HAPPENED. BABY. YES,
KEVIN HAD BEEN IN A MEDICALLY
INDUCED COMA FOR A WEEK. BUT
AFTER RECEIVING CONVALESCENT
PLASMA, HE BEGAN TO RECOVER.
IT HASN’T BEEN EASY. HE IS
WHAT DOCTORS CALL A LONG
HAULER STILL FIGHTING THE
EFFECTS OF COVID LONG AFTER
THE VIRUS HAS LEFT HIS BODY
IT’S JUST GETTING UP AND
AROUND AND BEING ABLE TO MOVE
THE FIRST.
>> COUPLE MONTHS WAS EXTREMELY
DIFFICULT AND IT’S GOTTEN
EASIER EVERY MONTH. AND THEN
OF COURSE, A LOT OF PEOPLE
LIKE MYSELF TO GET FOGGY
BRAIN. YOU KNOW, AS WE’RE HERE
MENTAL CAPACITY HAS GONE DOWN
A LITTLE BIT. THE METS LITTLE
BIT SLOWER TO CORRECT.
>> YOU KNOW, IT’S GETTING
BETTER EACH MONTH. YEAH, BUT
EXPLAINED THAT BECAUSE I FEEL
LIKE PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND WHEN
YOU SAY FOGGY BRAIN, WHAT DOES
THAT MEAN?
>> LIKE YOU CAN’T REMEMBER
WORDS THAT YOU’RE TRYING TO
SAY NORMALLY. JUST CAN’T
RECALL, YOU’RE MORE FORGETFUL,
YOU’RE LIKE WHERE AM I GOING
WALK INTO THE OTHER ROOM THAT
YOU’RE GOING TO SEE THE PICK
UP THEIR CLASSES. YOU KNOW,
NORMALLY YOU MIGHT DO THAT A
COUPLE TIMES A MONTH. YOU KNOW
WHAT WAS GOING TO DO. YOU
KNOW, WE HAVE A FOGGY BRAIN.
IT’S.
>> IT’S IT COULD BE AN
EVERYDAY OCCURRENCE OR
MULTIPLE DAY OCCURRENCE. ONE
THING THAT IS CLEAR TO KEVIN
FOR EVERY SURVIVOR LIKE HIM.
THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS WHO DIDN’T MAKE IT
IN IN THE GENTLEMAN. THAT WAS
NEXT TO ME IN THAT ROOM NEXT
TO ME. HE PASSED AND WE’VE GOT
TO KNOW HIS FAMILY AND BECOME
FRIENDS WITH THEM. AND JUST SO
SAD FEEL GUILTY AS BEING ONE
OF THE ONES WHO SURVIVED AND
THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU DID
SURVIVE AND YOU WONDER WHY.
THE YOU KNOW, THE AREA WITH A
LOT OF US THAT WE’VE BEEN ABLE
TO LET THEM BACK IN AND SO I’M
JUST I’M THANKFUL FOR THAT.
AND BUT THEN YOU KNOW, YOU’RE
YOU’RE SORROWFUL FOR THE LOSS
THAT.
>> YOU KNOW, IN IT.
>> JUST. IT’S SERIOUS AND
PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT
IT’S SERIOUS. THE RAFFLE SEE
HOPE ON THE HORIZON WITH MORE
AND MORE PEOPLE GETTING
VACCINATED, BUT THEY HAVEN’T
GOTTEN THEIR SHOTS YET BECAUSE
THEY STILL HAVE THE
ANTIBODIES. SO WE STILL HAVE
THE ANTIBODIES RIGHT NOW. SO
HAVE HAD WE HAVEN’T HAD TO GO
DOWN THAT ROAD YET AS WELL AS
WELL. SO AS LONG AS WE HAVE
THE ANTIBODIES, AS WE KEEP
GETTING REGULARLY TESTED
BECAUSE WE DONATE SO WE
HAVEN’T HAD TO REALLY DEAL
WITH THAT ISSUE. KEVIN
CONTINUES TO GET STRONGER
EVERY DAY WHEN HE LEFT THE
HOSPITAL, HE COULD BARELY
WALK. NOW HE HAS TURNED THOSE
BABY STEPS INTO MAJOR STRIDES.
I DO A LOT OF I TRY TO DO A
LOT OF WALKING. SO I LIKE
FORCE MYSELF TO AND, YOU KNOW,
I STARTED OFF.
>> WALKING AROUND THE HOUSE
THAT I GOT TO WALK AROUND THE
HOUSE AND THEN I HAVE MY SON
TOLD ME WE DO IT AND THEN SO
NOW I CAN COME UP TO 46 MILES.
I CAN DO.
>> IN A DAY. SO I’M SO, PRETTY
DEDICATED DOING GIVEN THAT THE
RAFFLE SAY THE VIRUS HAS
CHANGED THEM IN WAYS THEY
COULD HAVE NEVER IMAGINED. BUT
THEY BELIEVE IT IS ALSO CHANGE
THE PEOPLE AROUND THEM. AND
THAT IS SO SURE. YOU KNOW, IT
DOESN’T MATTER.
>> WHAT COLOR YOU ARE, WHAT
RELIGION YOU ARE. THIS IS
AFFECTING EVERYBODY. SO IT’S
JUST THAT IT’S REALLY HELPED
ALL OF US COOL SO CLOSE
TOGETHER ESPECIALLY WITH
NEIGHBORS THAT WE NORMALLY
WOULDN’T, YOU HAD A CHANCE TO.
NEED AND IT’S NO REALLY.
>> GINGER: YEAH. AND THEY SAY
LIKE NEIGHBORS AND EVEN
STRANGERS HAVE BEEN A SAVING
GRACE FOR THEM DURING ALL OF
THIS. NOW THE RATTLE SAY THEIR
FAITH HAS SUSTAINED THEM
THROUGH SO MUCH THIS PAST
YEAR, STACEY EVEN TOLD ME THAT
WHEN KEVIN WAS ACTUALLY IN THE
HOSPITAL. MATT, SHE COULD
PHYSICALLY FEEL THAT PEOPLE
WERE PRAYING FOR HIM AND HE
CAME OUT OF THAT COMA ON IT
WAS EASTER MORNING WHEN HE
CAME OUT OF WHAT THAT IS A
VERY TOUGH.
>> FAMILY, VERY CLOSE KNIT
FAMILY AND AND I THINK IT’S
AWESOME THAT THEY KEEP