Hospitalized for 116 days, Louisville woman beats COVID-19 and heads home
Tuesday was the day Anthony King says he prayed for — 116 days to be exact.
"God is good. I wished for a miracle and he granted it," King told WLKY.
His wife, Rhonda, had survived a 4-month battle with COVID-19 and was due to come home. Rhonda King, 56, was admitted to Jewish Hospital on March 27. Days later, she was on a ventilator and in a medically induced coma, fighting for her life.
Still, Anthony King said he called three times a day, wanting his wife to hear his voice and his words. With the help of nurses, he Facetimed his wife so that he could see her, telling her, "You're strong. You always have been. You hang in there. Don't leave me."
Anthony King said after a plasma donation from a COVID-19 survivor, Rhonda began to improve.
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After nearly three months in the ICU, the ventilator was turned off and King started rehab. Her husband said, she was so weak at the time she was unable to lift her arms or legs. The staff at Baptist Health's acute rehab worked each day with her for a month, promising if she worked hard she would soon be able to go home.
That day was Tuesday, and King, in a wheelchair, was pushed down a hallway filled with the cheers and applause from medical staff that afternoon.
Later she said, "I'm just glad to be alive and they helped me. I didn't think I was ever going to walk again."
Just moments before driving away, and with a smile, Anthony King told the nurses, "Everybody been so sweet to her and I thank y'all. You all are God sent but I'm so glad to leave."
Rhonda King tells WLKY she is looking forward to spending time with family, including her four grandchildren.