As the situation in Victoria develops, it is easy to focus on numbers and data, but it is equally important to remember the people behind the numbers. You may have seen stories on social media about people who have recovered from COVID-19. One of these people is 46-year-old Michael Rojales, who was treated at Monash Health.
Michael was self-isolating at home after returning from a work trip to South Africa. After experiencing symptoms such as coughing fits and fever, he was admitted to Casey Hospital on 25 March. After four days, he was placed in an induced coma at Monash Medical Centre. He had pneumonia and anaemia, and his lungs and kidneys were failing. Members of Michael’s family were also admitted, including his wife and mother-in-law. His mother-in-law sadly passed away.
“It was like drowning, I have coughing fits that go for one to two minutes. I developed pneumonia, anaemia, and I also developed nerve damage. I think two days after I was intubated, I was put into an induced coma…the doctors thought that basically, I was going to die.”
Michael is telling his story in hopes of encouraging others to heed restrictions and stay at home. You can hear him speak about his experience here.
When Michael was admitted to Casey Hospital and subsequently transferred to Monash Medical Centre, he received exceptional care from our teams throughout the 72 days he spent in hospital. Many areas of Monash Health played a part in helping Michael’s recovery, including our clinical care, social work and allied health teams.
Congratulations to everyone involved for the hard work and dedication you demonstrated when providing care and facilitating Michael’s recovery.
Approved by David Bloxham on 30 July (on behalf of Louise Kanis)