For 62 days, Louis Meza was unable to have physical contact with his wife, Melissa. That all changed earlier this week when she was released from Marian Regional Medical Center.
“It was just over the top to have her and to see her,” said Meza of the reunion with his wife.
Meza said the first night home for Melissa was an emotional roller coaster.
“We had a night just to ourselves, just going over everything and it was a little emotional for me. She fell asleep and all I could do was watch her because I couldn’t believe I finally had her home after 62 days,” he said.
Meza, who himself recovered from COVID-19, said the community's encouragement via social media and a GoFundMe account set up for the family has been much appreciated.
“We’re not sure what we are going to get for bills yet, they are starting to come in already. We are paying them with money from our GoFundMe, but we don’t know what extent that’ll be from the two hospitals," Meza said.
According to Meza, Melissa began showing improvement after 42 days in the hospital when she began needing less oxygen and was breathing on her own.
Melissa remains dependent on a small amount of oxygen at home and will continue doing at-home therapy and have visits from nurses for the next few months.
In a statement to KSBY, Melissa said, "I would like to thank everyone for all the prayers and donations for me and my family. I've been through a long journey. I'm so thankful to be here with my family and friends. I have to do a lot of therapy to get back to my normal life. Thank you and God bless."
"It is incredibly gratifying to see Melissa Meza return home, as she became like family to us. We are grateful to the physicians, nurses, and health care staff that provided outstanding medical care to preserve her health, as well as the community support that was shown to her as she battled this virus. We wish her and her family all the best," said Sue Andersen, President and CEO of Marian Regional Medical Center.