Benjamin Broomfield is happy to be back with family.
“It feels great to be back home,” Broomfield said. “I didn’t think I was coming back home.”
The 66-year-old was just released from Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood on Tuesday. He spent three weeks in intensive care after being diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier this month.
“My wife kept saying that I felt real hot,” he said.
Broomfield had a fever of 105, pneumonia in both lungs, and was lethargic. He was in a coma for nine days.
“They had to put me in a coma,” Broomfield said. “I had a tube in my throat to keep me going.”
His sister Marsha Collazo says things started to change after doctors gave him Remdesivir.
Local
“Immediately, the doctors said they saw improvement in the pneumonia, the way it was showing on his X-rays and in his breathing,” Collazo said.
“It is definitely saving lives,” she said. “It saved my brother’s life.”
The drug is now being looked at by experts in the fight against COVID-19.
Doctors say it’s promising but not a cure.
“Data shows that Remdesivir has a clear-cut significant positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Broomfield says he feels almost back to normal and hopes he’ll soon be able to get back to his music. He plays the guitar, keyboard and sings.
“I don’t have no side effects, nothing different,” Broomfield said. “Everything feels well.”
