Tales of courage and survival

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, August 12

Several patients hospitalised with severe Covid infection, including those who spent weeks breathing with the help of oxygen therapies, have been able to resume their lives with a strong resolve to survive.

But for some survivors, beating the virus is just the beginning as they encounter uneasiness even post-recovery.

A 65-year-old Covid survivor, who was a heart patient and a diabetic, stayed at the PGI for 25 days during the illness. He spent eight days on oxygen therapy. “What I have understood of Covid-19 is that it breaks you mentally and then affects you physically. I didn’t see a human in four days and was disturbed because of it. Even medicines and food was kept outside my room. Patients develop cynicism in isolation wards and try to run away,” said the Mohali resident.

“I had blood clots in the lungs during the illness due to which I could not breathe properly. I was unable to eat for some days. But I survived because I wanted to live. Even today, I feel breathless and there is a lot of weakness.”

A 37-year-old resident of Sector 15, who was on oxygen for three days, still feels uneasy and fatigued. “Initially, I thought I was going to die with Covid. The breathlessness increased on the third day and I felt miserable,” he said.

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