>>> WE’RE BACK NOW WITH A STORY OF HOPE AND SURVIVAL.
A CONNECTICUT MAN IS SHARING HIS
STORY THIS MORNING AFTER HE
CONTRACTED CORONAVIRUS AND HAD
TO BE PUT INTO A MEDICALLY
INDUCED COMA BECAUSE OF IT.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
THIS MORNING, GREAT, GREAT NEWS.
HE’S BACK HOME AND IMPROVING
EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY. CHRIS TILL ET IS WITH HIS WIFE
ELIZABETH AND THEIR NEWBORN TWIN
BOYS, FIVE MONTHS OLD, THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
WE’RE SO FWRAT FULLGRATEFUL.
MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION, HOW ARE
YOU FEELING?
YOU FEELING? >> I’M FEELING MUCH BETTER AND
IMPROVING EVERY DAY.
I FEEL GREAT AND GRATEFUL TO BE
ALIVE.
ALIVE. >> WE’RE GRATEFUL THAT YOU’RE
ALIVE AS WELL.
YOU’RE RECOVERING, REGAINING
STRENGTH TRYING TO RELEARN SOME
THINGS THAT YOU FEEL WERE TAKEN
AWAY FROM YOU BECAUSE OF THIS
COMA.
COMA. WHEN YOU GOT WHACKED BY
CORONAVIRUS, TELL US ABOUT IT.
WHEN IT HAPPENED, WHAT DID IT
FEEL LIKE?
FEEL LIKE? HOW DID IT BECOME SO OBVIOUS
THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG?
>> I FELT LIKE A TRUCK HIT ME
FLYING HOME FROM SAN FRANCISCO
FROM A CONFERENCE.
AND THEN ON SUNDAY, I HAD THE
FEELING OF I DIDN’T HAVE A FEVER
YET.
YET. BUT I FELT THAT SHORTNESS OF
BREATH AND I FELT THE TIREDNESS
IN MY JOINTS AND THEN ON MONDAY,
102, 101 DEGREE FEVER HIT.
SO THEN I HAD TO GO TO THE
DOCTOR AT THAT POINT.
I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG.
AND THEN --
>> GO AHEAD, CHRIS.
FINISH THAT THOUGHT.
>> THEN BASICALLY BY WEDNESDAY,
WE WENT TO THE DOCTOR AGAIN
BECAUSE AGAIN THAT FEVER DIDN’T
DISSIPATE AND I HAD THE OTHER
SYMPTOMS STILL.
SYMPTOMS STILL. SO IT’S RARE FOR AN ADULT TO
HAVE A FEVER FOR MULTIPLE DAYS.
SO MY WIFE CALLED, GOT ME A
CHEST X-RAY.
CHEST X-RAY. SURE ENOUGH I HAD PNEUMONIA.
THE DOCTORS ARE TREATING IT,
THIS IS A TERRIBLE FLU SEASON.
THEY WERE TREATING IT LIKE THE
FLU.
FLU. BY FRIDAY, I WAS ASCENDED INTO
CHAOS.
CHAOS. AT THAT POINT YOU SEE ME IN THE
HOSPITAL.
HOSPITAL. >> ELIZABETH, PICK UP AT THAT
POINT, BECAUSE HE WAS IN THE
HOSPITAL, IN A MEDICALLY INDUCED
COMA, QUARANTINED FROM YOU.
YOU HAVE THESE TWO BEAUTIFUL
TWIN BOYS.
TWIN BOYS. YOU’RE ALSO A REGISTERED NURSE.
SPEAK TO US PERSONALLY ABOUT
WHAT THAT MOMENT WAS LIKE FOR
YOU.
YOU. >> IT WAS -- WHEN I KNOW ABOUT A
HOSPITAL AND CARE IS DIFFERENT
NOW.
NOW. THE HOSPITALS ARE FUNCTIONING
DIFFERENTLY.
DIFFERENTLY. OBVIOUSLY, HE WAS IN THE COMA
AND IN THE ICU AND I COULDN’T BE
THERE DOING WHAT I KNOW HOW TO
DO, ADVOCATING FOR HIM AND
FOLLOWING HIS CARE.
I WAS HOME FOR TWO WEEKS WITH
TWO BABIES AND COULDN’T LET
ANYONE IN THE HOUSE.
SO THERE WAS FEAR FOR HIS LIFE
BUT THERE WAS FEAR THAT I
COULDN’T BE THERE FOR HIM.
SO I MEAN, EVERY DAY WAS JUST
VERY SCARY.
VERY SCARY. >> WE CAN IMAGINE.
CHRIS AND ELIZABETH, SO MANY OF
US ARE CELEBRATING THE FIRST
RESPONDERS, THE DOCTORS AND
NURSES.
NURSES. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THE FIRST
RESPONDERS WATCHING AND
COMMITTING THEIR LIVES,
OVERNIGHT HOURS TO TRY TO HELP
SO MANY PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THIS?
>> THANK YOU.
AND IT’S THOSE THAT WERE AT
DANBURY HOSPITAL, MANY OF YOU
PUT YOUR LIVES AT RISK TO SAVE
MINE.
MINE. AND I KNOW THAT -- WHEN I
FINALLY GOT TO THE POINT WHERE I
WAS ON A STABLE FLOOR AND DIDN’T
NEED THE ICU COMING OUT OF THE
COMA AND EVERYTHING, THAT ENTIRE
FLOOR WAS COMMITTED AS
CORONAVIRUS.
CORONAVIRUS. SO I WAS PATIENT 1 BUT BY THAT
TIME THERE WAS MANY.
I JUST WANT TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO
TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES, TOO.
IT’S GOING TO GET A LITTLE BIT
WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER.
JUST HANG IN THERE.
BUT WE, AS OUR FAMILY, WE REALLY
APPRECIATE ALL YOUR HARD WORK.
IF I DIDN’T HAVE A CHANCE TO
THANK YOU BECAUSE I WAS OUT, I
WANT TO THANK YOU NOW.
>> BE BE CHRIS AND ELIZABETH --
>> EVERY 12 HOURS I WOULD THINK
OF THE NEW ROTATION COMING ON
SHIFT.
SHIFT. WE’RE JUST FOREVER INDEBTED.
THEY HAVE A LOT MORE WORK TO DO
GOING FORWARD.
GOING FORWARD. >> REAL HEROES.
>> WE’RE SO GLAD THAT YOU GUYS
ARE OKAY.
ARE OKAY. CAN WE DO AN EXTREME CLOSEUP
WITH LUKE AND JOHN.
CAN WE SEE THOSE FACES?
>> LOOK AT THAT ONE.
>> WHAT A BLESSING THEY ARE.
WE ARE GRATEFUL TO THE BOTH OF
YOU FOR SPEAKING OUT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
TAKE CARE.
TAKE CARE. >> WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.
>> THERE IS HOPE.