FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A 15-year-old girl who has been battling COVID-19 at a Broward County hospital is sharing her recovery progress.
Paulina Velasquez has been taken off a ventilator at Broward Health Medical Center, and at one point, her doctors did not know if she would pull through. Velasquez has spent the last 25 days at the hospital with her mother, Agnieszka Velasquez, by her side.
“So grateful,” she said. “Everybody was telling me she was by my side. She never left the room, and I was in tears, but no, I don’t remember anything.”
Her mother admitted the teenager into the hospital on July 17. Agnieszka said she also contracted COVID-19 but was vaccinated, so her symptoms were less severe.
“So happy, I’m beyond happy and so blessed that I got her back,” Agnieszka said. “Prayers definitely helped her get through. God was there watching over her. All of us were praying.”
She was also there when her daughter was placed into a medically-induced coma before being intubated for two weeks.
“Then, she was placed on oxygen, like a mask,” Agnieszka said. “She had like a big mask over her face. Then, it was switched to something for her nose, the same oxygen they were giving her. Today, they removed from her, so she’s breathing on her own!”
At times, the Velasquez family was not sure Paulina would pull through. Miraculously, the 15-year-old then began responding to treatment.
“She’s doing amazing, to be honest with you,” Agnieszka said. “Last time we spoke, I had tears in my eyes, and today it’s a joy because she is next to me. She’s talking, laughing. She’s our miracle.”
Paulina had no pre-existing conditions prior to contracting the virus. She also had to share a message for others in her community.
“I think everybody should go get vaccinated because it is very important, and I don’t think anybody should go through what I went through,” she said. “I don’t think anyone wants to be in the hospital for 25 days.”
Although Paulina has started her recovery, she still has to attend therapy to get her back to where she once was.
If you would like to help the Velasquez family with their medical bills, click here to be redirected to their GoFundMe page.
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