“I Should Not Be Here” — Covid -19 Survivor Who Had Most Of His Fingers Amputated Warns Others That This Is Real

In February, while on a ski trip in Italy, Gregg Garfield became infected with coronavirus. After spending 64 days in a Southern California hostpital, he is ready to share his story and bring awareness.

“Medically speaking, I should not be here,” Garfield said. “I’m here today just to stand tall. I turned around with 100% capacity on everything from my kidneys, my liver, my cognitive.”

Within his first 48 hours of being diagnosed, his condition became severe and he was immediately placed on a ventilator. Doctors gave him a 1% chance of survival.

According to KTLA, Garfield suffered severe complications, including the amputation of most of his fingers.

According to his surgeon, Dr. David Kulber of Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, “COVID has effects on the endovascular blood stream, so it actually affects the blood flow,” Kulber said. “That’s why some young people have had strokes, and that’s why anticoagulation — putting patients on blood thinners — now has been a standard cure for COVID patients.” 

Garfield also suffers “from MRSA, to sepsis, to kidney failure, to liver failure, pulmonary embolisms, burst lungs — four of them” as a result from the virus.

After 64 days in the hospital and 31 days on a ventilator, Garfield was finally released in May.

“I’m doing fantastic. However, take heed on this. My hands,” Garfield said, lifting the bandaged appendages, “are never going to be the same. I don’t have fingers anymore. This can happen to you.”