Michael Orantes doesn’t remember much about the time he spent hospitalized with COVID-19, but he has a message for the public – get vaccinated. Kathy Vara reports for the NBC4 News on Wednesday, July 21, 2021.
A man who spent more than 90 days in an Inglewood hospital, almost losing his life to COVID-19, returned a year after his release.
But this time he came to thank healthcare workers for saving his life.
Michael Orantes doesn't remember much about the time he spent hospitalized with COVID-19.
"I came back to Centinela Hospital to give thanks to God and the doctors and nurses, all the medical staff."
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
Even when he was discharged the battle was far from over he left in a wheelchair with a tracheostomy tube to help him breath.
"When I left the hospital, I couldn't walk, I couldn't talk," he said.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
The 32 year old had spent two months in ICU where he had to be put in an induced coma to protect his organs.
"He got most of the worst complications we can think about," said Dr. Paryus Patel.
But he overcame all odds and is now on the road to a full recovery. He's gained 65 pounds, is a newlywed and has a new job.
He says it's all thanks to the medical staff who supported his recovery from day one.
"They took care of me and made sure that I would pull out of this dark situation. "they never lost faith that i was going to make it."
He has a message for the public -- get vaccinated so you don't have to experience what he did.
