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Tony Passarelli's family never lost hope – even when things seemed hopeless.
The 52-year-old Bolton man spent 40 days in hospital fighting for his life after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Today, he is at home recovering with the love and support of his family. “The only thing that got us through it was hope,” said his wife, Linda. “No matter how hopeless the day, at the end of it I would always tell the kids we've got to stay positive.”
Tony's journey started in mid-March with a trip to his family doctor. He'd had a lingering cough and was having difficulty breathing. This in itself didn't immediately set off alarm bells. He suffers from adult onset asthma and suspected that was the cause. He left with a course of antibiotics.
But the breathing troubles persisted and he started to feel feverish. On March 29, his son drove him the Emergency Department at Headwaters Health Care Centre in Orangeville. They took blood work, an x-ray and swabbed him for COVID-19. “As soon as they told me they were going to admit me, I don’t remember anything else after that,” said Tony.
By mid-morning the next day, he was intubated and on a ventilator. And by 5 p.m. he was being transferred to Etobicoke General Hospital. The pace at which the virus took hold left his family in shock. “It all happened so fast,” said Linda. “The ICU doctor told me, he's got COVID pneumonia and he's very, very, very sick and to be prepared that he might not make it through the night. It just hit us like a big tractor trailer.”
He survived the night. But the battle was just beginning. “The doctors told me it's going to be a slow process,” said Linda. “They said their job was to keep his organs healthy and give his body time to heal.” She knew it was going to be an uphill battle, especially given Tony's other health struggles. In the last five years, he'd fought cancer twice - first thyroid, then pancreatic.
Linda said it was really hard for her and the kids, ages 18, 19 and 24, to not visit Tony in the hospital but she understood the reasons behind the decision. Isabella Penna, Tony's social worker, helped to bridge the distance. Isabella said she knew it was important for her to be that constant connection to the family. “I knew Linda was at home, that she was worried and struggling herself.”
When Tony's condition continued to deteriorate, one of his ICU physicians, Dr. Andrew Gibson, requested he be transferred to Toronto General Hospital (TGH) and placed on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), a treatment that uses a pump to circulate blood through an artificial lung back into the bloodstream. It was a longshot that paid off. Linda said it's difficult for her to find the words to express her gratitude to the team at Etobicoke General and to Dr. Gibson. “He did not give up on Tony and continued to go the extra mile to save him right to the last minute.”
Tony spent two tough weeks at TGH. But he fought hard and, just when it seemed like there was nothing more that could be done, he turned a corner. On April 29 he was transferred back to Etobicoke General, this time to the 9th floor, where, coincidentally, Linda's mother had been a member of the clerical staff.
As soon as Isabella learned Tony was back, she went to check on him – and to return the ring that, at Linda's request, she had held onto after it was mistakenly left behind when he was transferred to TGH. “The day she brought back his ring was our anniversary,” said Linda. “I know it sounds weird. But I knew in my heart that his ring needed to stay there with her. I think in my heart I knew he'd be going back there.”
Tony was discharged on May 8 and is getting stronger every day. “Mornings are a little rough,” he said. “I'm still on oxygen and if I move around a lot I have to raise the oxygen level, but my legs and arms are getting better.”
He and the family are counting the days until they can come to the hospital and thank everyone in person. “Oh, get ready,” said Linda. “We're coming back. I want to meet all the people who never, ever gave up on him. I am just so grateful. There are truly no words to thank them enough.”
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