Chicago man returns home after 8-month battle with COVID-19, still fighting long-term effects
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago man is out of the hospital after an eight month battle with COVID-19.
Mike Margelewski, 72, has been battling COVID-19 since April, but he is finally out of the hospital and arrived home by ambulance Monday night.
"It's changed me completely. I mean I can't do anything like I could before," Margelewski said.
Margelewski was in and out of hospitals and rehab facilities before coming home. He was in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator twice throughout his battle.
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"The first couple of days, it wasn't too bad, and then it was like somebody just turned out the lights. I don't remember nothing," Margelewski said.
"He went into acute respiratory filature twice and he even coded at res," said Pam Margelweski, Mike's wife. "For a while all of his organs weren't doing very well. Everything was shutting down and it was all from COVID."
After months of fighting for his life, Margelewski gave a message for people who still say COVID-19 is not that bad.
"Just take a look at me and you will find out that it's real," Margelewski said.
The Margelewski family is asking people to take COVID-19 pandemic seriously.
"You don't believe it? Come over here. Come look at the 72-year-old man, who by the way only had high blood pressure when he went to the hospital," Pam said.
Margelewski still has to go through rehab and dialysis from his house. The virus left lasting effects on his body.
