Patient changes perspective after COVID-19 nearly takes his life
William "Bill" Bloom, 53, didn't believe in the dangers of COVID-19 until it was almost too late.
San Antonio, Texas — William “Bill” Bloom, 53, used to view COVID-19 as a hoax until it almost took his life. “I didn’t believe in it. I didn’t care to wear a mask. I didn’t think it would affect me,” Bill admitted. It wasn’t until he had contracted the virus and began suffering from shortness of breath and chest pain when he realized COVID-19 was no longer a hoax. “People who have had it have a responsibility to tell people it’s real. It’s not imaginary. COVID will kill you or leave you humbled.”
On July 27, Bill arrived at the Methodist Hospital Northeast emergency room and was immediately admitted to the unit where the sickest COVID-19 patients were being treated. “He came minutes from dying when he arrived,” said Dr. John Eric Stupka, pulmonologist. Throughout the day, Bill began rapidly deteriorating.
“The second day that I saw Mr. Bloom, he had significantly worsened in terms of respiratory function and was requiring extremely high levels of oxygen support,” said Dr. Christopher Everett, another pulmonologist on Bill’s care team. “I made the decision to move him to the ICU for higher level of care and likely intubation.”
When his doctors recommended intubation, death felt even closer for Bill and the reality started to sink in deeper. Dr. Everett ended up having a long conversation with Bill and his girlfriend, Liz, as they were both concerned. “He told me if I didn’t go on a ventilator, I would’ve died within a day or two. I wouldn’t have the chance of living if I don’t, but I have the possibility of living if I do,” said Bill. Ultimately, he trusted his doctors’ advice and was intubated for the next 17 days. “I celebrated my 53rd birthday on a ventilator,” Bill shared.
On August 13, Bill’s tubes were removed and he began gradually improving. “A nurse named Sarah came in and I had tears in my eyes,” said Bill. “I sat there and she walked in and took my hand and said, ‘I’m here.’ She had six or seven other patients and she made me feel as if I was the only one there. I needed that.”
Bill told his nurses the most important thing to him was getting to see his grandchildren. They coordinated a plan for them to safely reunite with their grandpa as they waved through the window of his room. His nurses wanted to make sure he had something to give his grandkids when they came to visit, so they went to the hospital gift shop where they purchased toys for little gift baskets on his behalf. “That is kindness beyond belief. I wasn’t able to do that,” said Bill. “They didn’t just show kindness, they showed concern and love.”
Additionally, his girlfriend created a photo collage of Bill and his grandchildren to lift his spirits. Liz asked his nurse if Bill enjoyed his gift and she responded that even Dr. Stupka was moved. “He called me the day they took him off the ventilator and shared that he looked better,” Liz recalled. “He said, ‘If we are going to do this, today is the day. I’ve been looking at Bill and looking at that picture. I see him with his grandkids and he deserves a chance. His grandkids deserve it — everyone deserves it.’”
On September 5, Bill was discharged home. While he continues to heal, he still experiences uncomfortable side effects. “I’ve been home for weeks and still have horrific pain,” Bill shares. While there still isn’t enough longitudinal data available to prove how COVID-19 affects people long-term, both Dr. Stupka and Dr. Everett have noticed their hospitalized patients who are able to return home still have long recoveries. “His persistent symptoms after clearing his viral infection is a fairly common finding,” Dr. Everett explains. “Many of our COVID patients went home requiring oxygen supplementation, have chronic exertional dyspnea post COVID and required extensive rehabilitation services because of severe weakness related to a prolonged hospitalization.”
While Bill’s prior history of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and coronary artery disease increased his risk for complications, it was COVID-19 that almost took his life. “What I saw in the first two to three months in the ICU were people dying from COVID, not from preexisting diseases, they were dying from COVID,” said Dr. Stupka.
Bill shares his story so others don’t have to experience the pain that not only he, but also his family and care teams had to endure. “If I can stop one person, I will be doing something good,” Bill shares. “It’s simple — wear a mask, social distance, keep your hands clean. It’s so easy to cut down the risk of losing a life — a mother, father, brother or sister. I changed my opinion about everything.”