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

DUPAGE COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) -- Jason Barbosa met the doctor who saved his life for the first time Monday.

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

Barbosa said his entire body shut down and the virus nearly killed him on several occasions.

"They told my family to say goodbye to me three times. They told them they were gonna disconnect me," he said.

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

"I am amazed. This is truly a miracle," said Dr. Huml of Northwestern Medicine.

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

Barbosa is 25 years old, had no pre-existing health concerns, and his doctor said his case should serve as a warning.

"Young people need to take this very seriously. Every day people are dying from the virus," Dr. Huml said.

Barbosa was released last August, but he still has to check in at the hospital frequently while he deals with the after effects of the virus. He's hoping to get the vaccine as soon as he can, and hoping to see his family.

"When I woke up it was the first thing I thought of, to be there for them," he said.

At its peak, Central DuPage Hospital was treating 111 COVID patients. Now the number is down to 25 or so, but doctors said it's important to remember the threat of serious illness or even death remains.