TROY, Mich. (WXYZ) — Nearly 68,000 Michiganders have recovered from the virus, according to state health officials.
That means every person who tests positive is considered “recovered” 30 days after the onset of symptoms. But that doesn’t mean patients are out of the woods.
We're hearing more and more stories from people who have recovered from the coronavirus. What we're learning is that many patients who were near death still have a long road ahead of them.
Zahid Raza has been in the hospital since March and finally got out Friday, with his wife by his side. She never gave up hope.
He's grateful to be heading home.
“It’s a miracle I came back," he said.
Which is why friends and family gave him a warm welcome.
“Everybody was here cheering me up for survival," said Zahid.
You can still hear him wheezing between sentences. That’s an issue he’s facing after beating COVID-19. Because of the virus, he also now has problems with his kidneys.
Zahid went into Beaumont Hospital in Troy on March 30 because he couldn’t breathe.
One of his last memories was hearing medical staff say they were using the last available ventilator on him.
“God saved me because I was very lucky to have it.”
For the next several weeks, Zahid was in a coma.
What was most stressful for his wife Hanan and two kids, they couldn’t visit him due to pandemic restrictions.
His wife of more than 30 years has never left his side until this and was devastated when she was told he was probably not going to survive.
“Why you don’t let him go? That was a miserable day for me," said wife Hanan Raza.
Zahid says he has zero underlying health issues. He turned 65 while in a coma.
He was transferred to a specialty facility in Mt. Clemens in June. That was the first time Hanan got to visit him since March.
“Today I get to see my husband after 71 days. I’m so excited.”
That’s when she told him how much time had passed.
“I said, ‘No way.’ Then I looked at the date, and she said you were in a coma the whole time," said Zahid.
He was then transferred to Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit. And after 137 days to be exact, he got to go home.
There will still be doctor visits on a weekly basis, but he doesn’t care – as long as he gets to be home with Hanan by his side.
“I appreciate every minute of my life now.”
Zahid says he has to learn to walk and move his muscles again, but he's just thankful to be alive.
He has now made the decision to retire to spend more time with his family.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Michigan, a timeline of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Southeast Michigan, and links to more information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and the WHO.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
Visit our The Rebound Detroit, a place where we are working to help people impacted financially from the coronavirus. We have all the information on everything available to help you through this crisis and how to access it.