The last time Dr. Jeffrey Huml treated Barbosa, he was unconscious; COVID-19 forced him into a coma for six weeks.
Barbosa said his whole body was locked up and that the virus had killed him almost several times.
“They said goodbye to my family three times. They said they were going to disconnect me,” he said.
But Barbosa has survived and is on the long road to recovery.
“I am amazed. It is truly a miracle,” said Dr. Huml of Northwestern Medicine said.
While Barbosa has family members in the western suburbs, his immediate family – including his wife, two children and his parents – are all in Mexico. They could not visit him for the nearly four months he was in Central Dupage Hospital.
Barbosa is 25 years old, had no health care, and his doctor said his case should serve as a warning.
“Young people have to take it very seriously. Every day people die from the virus,” said Dr. Huml said.
Barbosa was released in August last year, but still has to check in regularly at the hospital while dealing with the side effects of the virus. He hopes to get the vaccine as soon as possible, and hopes to see his family.
“When I woke up, it was the first thing I thought of being there for them,” he said.
Central DuPage Hospital treated 111 COVID patients at its peak. Now it’s about 25 or so, but doctors have said it’s important to remember the danger of serious illness or even death.
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