TROY — Amy DeVos, a Troy mother, and respiratory therapist has recovered from COVID-19 after battling the virus for the past year.
We had first met DeVos back in April right after she got out of the hospital after spending 29 days there. Back then she needed a walker and was having trouble doing normal, everyday tasks.
“When I was at the worst, I was maxed out on my ventilator settings, and my oxygen level was 70 percent. I had had two seizures and they called my family to come say their last goodbyes” DeVos told WHIO’s Molly Koweek.
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Off-camera today she told us someone said she would only ever get to 97 percent. Now she’s energized to get back to 100.
A doctor on her case called for Dr. Tom Pitts in New York, who prescribed DeVos Soliris, a rare drug that manipulates how the immune system works.
DeVos said that’s what saved her life.
Dr. Leelmohan Ravikumar, DeVos’ primary care physician told her that she still has some lasting effects from the virus.
“She has developed some form of cardiopulmonary insult, or what we know that covid can do is vascular damage. and so this vascular damage, the question is, is it going to be long term or short term?” Dr. Ravikumar told WHIO.
DeVos is still making moves forward in getting her life back to normal however she still had concerns.
“I still take medication to help me sleep at night because that’s when I can have some crazy dreams. but you know at first, I had a fear of going back to work because you know would I get covid again? How am I going to take care of my patients? But I did receive some counseling and that helped as well.”
Then in August, she went back to work as a respiratory therapist.
This week is respiratory care week and we would like to say thank you to all the respiratory therapists here in the Miami Valley who have been working so hard during this pandemic.
Cox Media Group
