LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. — One year after his release from a more than month long hospital stay, Robert Marrero said his fight against COVID-19 isn’t finished yet.
“The pain, from it being always between an eight and ten, I will say is now like a five or six,” Marrero said of the muscle and joint pain he still experiences. “I’m beginning to have more movement in my left foot. The only thing that seems to be getting worse is the brain fog.”
Marrero was hospitalized for 36 days last spring, three weeks of which were spent in a coma. At one point, family members were told he might not survive.
“I thank God Almighty that I was given the opportunity to come back,” Marrero said.
This is Marrero being released from the hospital last year. He has pre-existing conditions known to put people at risk for severe #COVID. He says he still experiences lingering effects, including muscle and joint pain. Marrero says the worst is the brain fog and memory loss. @BN9 pic.twitter.com/Kl7oQqFBdg
— Sarah Blazonis (@SarahBlazonis) May 7, 2021
Physically, he’s making progress. He still has a limp but says walking is getting less difficult. Easier still is one of his favorite activities — riding his bicycle. Dealing with that brain fog, however, has been a challenge.
“For example, I could be leaving the community, and all of a sudden, I forget which way to go, whether left or right,” he said.
Marrero tells us doctors have performed scans of his brain, but everything appears normal.
“It can be frustrating. I’ve been independent since the age of 17. I just turned 59, and the hardest is being dependent on other people. I’m not the type of man that likes to ask for help,” said Marrero.
Still, he said it was the support of his family that got him through some of the hardest moments of the past year.
“I’ll be honest with you – if it wasn’t because of my family, I’d probably be in a very dark place,” he said.
Marrero continues to urge people to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from COVID.
“All I could tell people is, you know, just appreciate life. You know, I tell people live your life like each day is your last, and try to be more kind and more loving. We need more kindness and love in this world. We really do.”
In addition to celebrating his 59th birthday in March, another personal milestone Marrero’s marked in the past year is getting to celebrate his 40th wedding anniversary in December.
