DR. PATEL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
TIME. I’M SURE WE’LL BE TALKING TO YOU
SOON.
SOON. CRAIG, I’LL ACCEPTED IT OVER TO
YOU.
YOU. >> ANOTHER MYSTERY WITH THE
VIRUS, WHY SEEMINGLY HEALTHY
PEOPLE DEVELOP LIFE THREATENING
SYMPTOMS.
SYMPTOMS. A DOCTOR FROM NEW JERSEY, DR.
FISK IS ONE OF THEM.
HE’S AN AVID RUNNER WHO OVERCAME
AN SCARY ABOUT WITH COVID-19.
DR. FISK JOINS US NOW.
DR. FISK, GOOD MORNING.
GLAD TO SEE YOU’RE DOING BETTER.
AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE FIRST
WEEK OF YOUR ILLNESS, YOU HAD
MILD SYMPTOMS, YOU WERE STAYING
AT HOME, AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED.
>> MY FEVERS WOULDN’T BREAK.
WHAT STARTED AS FEVERS OF 101
ALL OF A SUDDEN HIT 103 TO 104.
MY DOCTOR, A COLLEAGUE OF MINE,
FACETIMED ME.
FACETIMED ME. SHE TOLD ME SHE DIDN’T LIKE THE
WAY I LOOKED CLINICALLY AND TO
HEAD TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
>> YOU GET TO THE EMERGENCY
ROOM, YOU’RE ADMITTED AND YOU
HAD AN X-RAY.
IT SHOWED YOU HAD DOUBLE
PNEUMONIA.
PNEUMONIA. >> BILATERAL PNEUMONIA.
NEVER HAD A COUGH OR SHORTNESS
OF BREATH.
OF BREATH. I WAS JUST AS SURPRISED AS
ANYBODY ELSE.
ANYBODY ELSE. THEY ADMITTED ME INTO THE
HOSPITAL AND OVER THE NEXT 48
HOURS I GOT PRETTY SICK.
THAT PICTURE.
THAT PICTURE. I WAS PUT ON OXYGEN.
MY FEVERS WOULDN’T BREAK.
THE DOCTORS FIGURED OUT I WAS IN
SOMETHING CALLED A STORM WHERE
YOUR BODY ATTACKS ITSELF.
THEY THOUGHT I HAD BEATEN THE
VIRUS BUT MY BODY DIDN’T KNOW
HOW TO TURN OFF THE FIGHT.
BECAUSE OF THAT I GOT REALLY
SICK.
SICK. >> WHAT WAS THE TREATMENT FOR
THIS STORM YOU WENT TO.
>> THE TREATMENT IS IL 6
INHIBITOR, THEY GAVE ME A
MEDICINE THAT SHUTS OFF YOUR
IMMUNE SYSTEM BASICALLY, WHICH
IS A RISKY THING TO DO FOR
SOMEONE FIGHTING A DEADLY VIRUS.
IT’S REALLY TRYING TO FIND THE
RIGHT WINDOW FOR SOMETHING LIKE
THIS.
THIS. IT’S POST VIRUS AND BEFORE YOU
GET PUT ON A VENTILATOR THAT IT
SEEMS TO WORK.
THEY ARE FINDING FOR YOUNGER,
HEALTHY PATIENTS IT’S A RIGHT
TREATMENT OPTION BUT IT HAS TO
BE FOR THE RIGHT PATIENT AND I
WAS THAT RIGHT PATIENT.
>> HOW SCARED DID YOU GET?
>> THERE WAS A WINDOW THERE FOR
ABOUT A DAY OR TWO THAT I GOT
PRETTY SCARED.
PRETTY SCARED. SCARED ENOUGH THAT I WROTE A
NOTE TO MY HIGH SCHOOL SONS
ABOUT HOW I WANT THEM TO LIVE
THEIR LIFE IF I’M NOT AROUND,
TELLING MY WIFE I LOVE HER.
DARK STUFF, STUFF I DIDN’T THINK
I WOULD HAVE TO THINK ABOUT AS
46-YEAR-OLD PHYSICIAN OR
46-YEAR-OLD PERSON.
46-YEAR-OLD PERSON. IT GOT A LITTLE DARK THERE.
BUT AS SICK AS I GOT, I GOT
BETTER RELATIVELY QUICKLY.
THEN OUT OF THE DARK CAME A LOT
OF LIGHT.
OF LIGHT. I FELT REALLY GOOD.
>> YOU’VE ALREADY DONATED PLASMA
TO A STUDY TO TRY AND HELP SOME
OTHER FOLKS.
OTHER FOLKS. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> I HEAR YOU’VE ALSO INSPIRED
YOUR 12-YEAR-OLD NIECE TO HELP
SOME FOLKS AS WELL.
>> MY NIECE IS ONE OF THE HEROES
IN THE STORY.
SHE’S 12-YEAR-OLD, AND SHE
DECIDED AFTER I GOT BETTER TO
SELL MASKS TO THE PUBLIC, AND
SHE RAISED OVER $7,000 AND
DONATED THEM TO LOCAL
CHARITIES -- I’M SORRY, LOCAL
HOSPITALS, FIRST RESPONDERS.
IT WAS SUCH -- SO AMAZING.
I COULDN’T BELIEVE WHAT SHE DID.
>> DOCTOR FISKR. FISK, GOOD TO S
KUDOS TO YOUR NIECE AS WELL.
>> KUDOS TO THE HOSPITAL, MY
HOSPITAL, OVERLOOK HOSPITAL AND
A COUPLE OF THE NURSES, DEB AND
KACEY, THE WHOLE TEAM, DOCTORS
AND HEROES I CAN’T EXPLAIN I’M