'I thought I would die, but now I’m almost normal’

Edgar Julian Remedios can breathe freely again. He can walk without any discomfort. He can reflect clearly on all that happened during the past fortnight and tell the world how he recovered from the deadly Covid-19.Remedios is among Goa’s seven Covid-19 cases who are under treatment in ESI hospital, Margao. After 15 days of hospitalisation, he is now feeling “almost normal”.“The moment I got the news that I was positive for the Covid-19 virus, my heart sank, because of fear for my family. My first thought went to my wife and kids. What would they do without me? All these thoughts ran through my mind and made me anxious,” Remedios told TOI from his hospital bed. medium75027596Life hasn’t always been kind to Remedios. He has lost five family members—two sisters, one at age 16 to nephritic syndrome, two brothers and parents—all to cancer. “I’m the only surviving member of my family,” said the 55-year-old.Life was tough while being initially hospitalised at the Goa Medical College (GMC). His mind was full of thoughts and the material engineer even wrote his bosses in Germany to look after his family, if he loses the battle against coronavirus.“They asked me to get better. I shouldn’t be worrying in hospital,” he said.While he remained a bundle of nerves, his wife remained calm, assuring him on his cellphone every time they spoke that he will be alright. Wife Gauri and daughter Ruth are in Texas.Remedios found himself in Goa almost by accident while his son, Ishan, was here to visit his grandparents. “I came to India because all my attempts to get back to the US were blocked via Europe,” he said. medium75026418Remedios proceeded to Amsterdam en route to Egypt on work. He spent a week in Egypt but on the eve of his departure from Cairo to Houston via Frankfurt, the flight was cancelled.He rebooked on another flight, but while he could proceed from Cairo to Frankfurt, there was no way beyond that. medium75023188Untitled Carousel 75017181‘My lung was a thick black patch on the right’His travel agent suggested Cairo-Istanbul-Houston, only for Remedios to deny the offer and instead settle for Goa.“This is where God’s divine intervention came through. I declined the route and asked to book me to Goa. I returned to my homeland, and even though I picked up the virus along the way, I would surely not be alive to tell the tale, if I had returned to the US,” he said.Remedios arrived in Goa on March 15 and his first symptoms were of flu, four days later. He immediately locked himself in the room, and when symptoms showed no signs of improvement, admitted himself in the GMC on March 22.When he first arrived at the GMC, there was chaos all around. He was assured by doctors, particularly Dr Edwin Gomes, nodal officer at ESI hospital—who he says has been of tremendous help—that there was nothing gravely wrong with him. “He has been treating me and other patients like they are his children,” he said.While waiting for his results, he “freaked out”. But the real ordeal started after he tested positive on March 25. He was moved to another room with a Covid-19 patient. He soon contracted pneumonia, and after being moved to ESI hospital, his condition started deteriorating.“The X-ray showed that my entire right lung was completely full of pneumonia. It was a thick black patch on the right. On top of it, there was bacterial infection across the entire bronchial system on both side of the lungs. I started to panic. My breathing became erratic. I was experiencing high level of stress. I was connected to the heart monitor to check my condition,” he said. medium75026428Even as his condition worsened, he didn’t tell his wife and daughter that his life was in danger. “They were worried. My daughter would cry, and I would tell her that I’m fine when actually I was not,” he said.Even nurses were afraid as they did know what to expect.“For me, walking to a washroom was difficult. Slowly, medication worked. I’m grateful to God and to my family and friends that I did not infect anybody,” he said. medium75026453His son and other family members—brother-in-law, his family—were placed in quarantine after he tested positive. They have all tested negative for the virus.On his hospital bed, he now awaits confirmation from doctors that he is fit to go home. His anxiety level is under check, although he cannot take his mind of all the criticism and nasty comments on social media.“One of the social media posts said I am here to take free treatment, while working outside India. I have worked at Zuari Agro for 18 years and paid taxes like everybody else. This is my motherland and I have not come here for free treatment. This type of comments hurt,” he said.Untitled Carousel 75022261