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A New York man who was left hospitalized for five months after catching COVID has been discharged after health care experts helped him gain the strength to walk again.
Timothy Heaton is a former Suffolk County correction officer who was just two weeks away from retirement when he fell ill with the virus. He was hospitalized in September 2021.
Heaton's condition deteriorated to the point where his kidneys failed and he fell into a coma for six weeks. A number of times, the man's family came to his bedside and he was given last rites.
But despite close brushes with death, Heaton's condition improved and a celebration took place as he was finally discharged on Tuesday.
Speaking to Long Island news outlet News12, Heaton expressed thanks to the health workers who cared for him while he was ill. "The doctors saved my life, that's all I can say," he said. "Never give up in the power of God and prayer."
Also speaking to reporters, Laura Vaughn, occupational therapist, said: "At times it was really tough for him to do it, but he always pushed through."
Heaton is now retired after working as a correction officer for 30 years. As he was leaving the hospital, he said the first thing he wanted to do when he got home was say hello to his dog Cappy whom he had missed dearly, News12 reported.
There have been many cases of people being hospitalized for extensive periods of time and coming close to death after catching COVID and developing a serious illness.
Arizona firefighter Brad Henderson was hospitalized for four months as a result of COVID complications and was discharged earlier this year.
He was unvaccinated at the time he had to be airlifted to Banner-University Medical Center in Phoenix in October, where he was placed on a ventilator and also attached to a device that oxygenates the blood externally.
Like Heaton, Henderson went through a period of rehab and learned to walk again following his long illness while still requiring some supplemental oxygen.
In February, a man was discharged from a hospital in Florida more than five months after being admitted there in August 2021 due to COVID.
Fabian Granado was a healthy male in his late 20s when he fell ill while training to become an underwater welder. He was not vaccinated at the time.
He was hospitalized after his condition deteriorated, with the man suffering shortness of breath and coughing. During his hospital stay, his heart reportedly stopped.
Doctors were able to care for Granado and he left the hospital with his father by his side this year. The man encouraged people to get vaccinated to avoid going through the same experience he did.
