LYNN — One Lynn woman thinks the story of her father’s recovery from severe COVID-19 illness can serve as a beacon of hope to other families who are forced to wait on the sidelines while their loved ones battle the deadly virus.
Alexis Cole said her father, Billy Kopoulos, 64, was finally able to come home this past Saturday after a 26-day battle with a severe case of COVID-19. He had tested positive for the virus on April 2.
His ability to recover after spending weeks hooked up to a ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit at Brigham and Women’s Hospital was surprising to the family, so much so that Cole considers his survival to be a miracle.
“He’s healing and things are very positive,” said Cole, 29. “There is hope. We really want people to hang on, stay strong, and hold onto your prayers because miracles do happen. We truly do feel this was a miracle.”
Cole credits much of her father’s recovery to the healthcare workers at both Salem Hospital, where he was first admitted, and Brigham and Women’s, and the trial drug he was given at BWH, remdesivir, which is being studied as a treatment for COVID-19.
However, it was a different type of medicine that a nurse at Brigham and Women’s suggested that Cole thinks also had a significant impact on her father’s recovery.
“Our first glimmer of hope update we received was shortly after my dad heard all of our voices in a Zoom meeting while he was in the ICU on a ventilator,” said Cole. “We feel that he did hear us and from that point on, he began to improve.”
At the time of the Zoom meeting, on April 9, the family’s last update had been that Kopoulos’ prognosis was not good. His health had been declining quickly and the family was very concerned, Cole said.
Cole said her father was heavily sedated during the Zoom session, but their voices seemed to do the trick. The next morning, the nurse called Cole’s mother, Jenny Kopoulos, with news that her husband was doing better.
“We held onto that so tightly,” said Cole. “That was the first positive update we received.”
After 26 days in the hospital, Billy Kopoulos returned to his home last Saturday, where he was enthusiastically greeted by members of his family, who were waiting with signs of support.
But there was one caveat that kept much of their celebration at bay — Kopoulos still has to self-quarantine before he can be near his family.
“It was so overwhelmingly just amazing,” said Cole. “When we all saw him, we were holding up signs. (Since) he’s finally home, the first reaction was to hug him tight, but we still had to practice social distancing.”
The homecoming capped weeks of uncertainty for the family, a “rollercoaster of events” that Cole said could only be described as a nightmare.
“We are (grateful) to the frontline workers at Salem Hospital and Brigham and Women’s for saving our dad’s life,” said Cole. “It was really difficult not being able to be bedside with my dad and even meet the professionals who were saving his life.
“We really just want his experience to bring hope to those who are dealing with a loved one sick with COVID-19,” said Cole. “There is hope and miracles do happen.”
