PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida man recovering from COVID-19 took the opportunity to thank the frontline workers who nursed him back to health, and his handwritten message has given the hardworking staff a much needed boost during a difficult time.
Fifty-seven-year-old Lazaro Gonzalez shared his survival story with 7News on Friday.
“People that are looking at me right now. I’m OK, I’m alive, you know? Thank God,” he said.
Gonzalez had recently checked into the COVID-19 unit at Memorial Hospital West in Pembroke Pines with severe symptoms.
The patient learned he had contracted the coronavirus.
“I’m a person that used to take vitamins for years. I do exercise three, four times a week,” he said.
Before he wound up in a hospital bed, Gonzalez said he was against vaccines. He said he was in great health and thought he’d be OK if he got COVID.
But even in good health, the virus got the best of him.
“No matter how you are, if you are the more healthy people, if the COVID hits you, it can kill you,” he said.
During his treatment, Gonzalez said, talking was hard. He communicated his thoughts with a marker and dry erase board.
In one message, the patient showed his support for his healthcare team.
The message spread around the hospital, delivering a dose of strength to the doctors and nurses by Gonzalez’s bedside around the clock.
“If somebody actually acknowledges that and puts that type of a message [in writing] — that day was one of the worst days we’ve had in a while, and it made such an impression on all of us,” said Fortuna Borrego, Director of Nursing at Memorial Hospital West.
Sixteen days after he entered the hospital, Gonzalez’s symptoms are subsiding. He personally thanked those who helped save his life.
Gonzalez said he’s grateful for a second chance, and now he’s telling others his story.
After a near-death experience, he said, he has a new take on the vaccine.
“My recommendation about the vaccine: please get the shot,” he said.
COVID-19 vaccines are available at locations across Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties.
Anyone with questions and concerns about the coronavirus can call the Florida Department of Health’s 24-hour hotline at 1-866-779-6121.
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