He survived COVID-19 early on, but the impacts on his body are long lasting
HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Three months after Coby Torda was released from the hospital after a long COVID-19 fight, he continues on this path toward recovery.
But he’s still living with the scars of the ordeal — both physical and emotional.
He wants people to take the virus seriously after experiencing first-hand the painful effects of COVID-19.
“Don’t be selfish. Be considerate to others. Maybe you’re healthy, maybe you feel invincible. Maybe you don’t care, but there are a lot of other people’s lives at stake so just be considerate,” he said.
Torda was put on a ventilator and in a coma for six and a half weeks earlier this year after contracting the virus. He recalled the onset of symptoms days before being admitted to the hospital.
“Body aches, and then the loss of taste and smell... The shivers wouldn’t go away. I was hitting 104 the last 5 days before I was admitted,” he recalled.
Compared to others who have tested positive, his symptoms were clear and severe.
The 38-year-old remains on oxygen and still struggles to breathe. He has coughing fits and sometimes finds speaking a bit difficult. His doctors aren’t sure when he’ll be able to breathe on his own, and say he may need an oxygen tank for the rest of his life.
[Read a previous report: Hawaii man who fought COVID-19 discharged after two months in hospital]
Torda and his husband are now taking it day by day. After waking up from his coma, he said his body was very weak after losing muscle mass. Torda says his daily routine now includes a walk around the house to stay healthy.
“I’m trying to be optimistic,” he said.
The couple added that it took a while for their health insurance to sort out the cost of the hospital treatment. They shared the billed amount which totaled just over $1,015,000. Now most of their costs have to do with Torda’s recovery process, which are manageable.
“You don’t want to wait until it happens to somebody you love before you start taking it seriously, because you wouldn’t be able to imagine the guilt that you’d feel if you infected somebody who is close to you, and them something was to happen to them,” Torda’s husband Scotty Stapes said.
He added, “If wearing a mask is the worst thing that you have to worry about, you really don’t have anything to worry about at all.”
If you would like to assist Torda with financial costs during his recovery, loved ones set up an online fundraiser here.
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