LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) — On Thursday, during Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts COVID-19 briefing, two people shared their story of surviving the virus.
Steve Schrader caught COVID-19 in mid-March and was hospitalized at Nebraska Medicine.
Shortly after arriving at the hospital, his condition took a turn for the worse and he spent 19 days on a ventilator. By the end of his stay, he was at the hospital for more than 30 days.
His wife Ann spoke today about how she hoped he'd pull through.
“The worst part of the whole journey was about a week into it,” she said. “He was getting worse and worse and worse and the doctors would describe his lungs as concrete ... he's just not getting any better and they told me there was a high likelihood he would not survive this.”
Anne praised medical staff who took time to Zoom or hold the phone to his ear so she could talk to him while he was in a coma for 19 days.
After his hospital stay, Steve moved to Madonna Rehabilitation. He's considered a long hauler. Months after his diagnosis, he still has health issues related to his COVID-19 battle.
Both he and Ann stressed the importance of taking the virus seriously, wearing a mask and social distancing.
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