Illinois COVID: 25-year-old coronavirus patient at Central DuPage Hospital cheats death 3 times

DUPAGE COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) – Jason Barbosa met the doctor who first saved his life on Monday.

In fact, the last time Dr Jeffrey Huml treated Barbosa he was unconscious; COVID-19 put him in a coma for six weeks.

Barbosa said his entire body had died out and the virus had almost killed him on several occasions.

“They told my family to say goodbye to me three times. They told them they were going to disconnect me,” he said.

But Barbosa survived and is on the long road to recovery.

“I am amazed. It truly is a miracle,” said Dr. Huml of Northwestern Medicine.

While Barbosa has parents in the western suburbs, his immediate family – including his wife, two children, and parents – are all in Mexico. They were unable to visit him during the nearly four months he was at the Central Dupage Hospital.

Barbosa, 25, had no pre-existing health issues and her doctor said her case should serve as a warning.

“Young people need to take this very seriously. Every day people die from the virus, ”said Dr Huml.

Barbosa was released last August, but he still has to check in frequently at the hospital while he deals with the aftermath of the virus. He hopes to receive the vaccine as soon as he can and hopes to see his family.

“When I woke up it was the first thing I thought about being there for them,” he said.

At its peak, Central DuPage Hospital was treating 111 COVID patients. Now the number has dropped to around 25, but medics have said it is important to remember that the threat of serious illness or even death remains.