DETROIT, Mich. (WDIV) – One of Michigan’s first COVID-19 patients was diagnosed more than a month ago.
Paul Dewyse is a 57 years old with an underlying condition. He had a double lung transplant and wasn’t sure he’d survive coronavirus.
When Dewyse got to University of Michigan Hospital on March 9 he wasn’t thinking about coronavirus.
All he knew was that he had flu-like symptoms and because he’d recently had a double lung transplant it meant he needed to get to a hospital.
“The body aches were just excruciating. I mean, it was, it was like having the flu times 10,” he said.
Dewyse had received bad medical news before, but after his double lung transplant the coronavirus was a devastating diagnosis.
“All I could think is, ‘This is it.’ You know, I got lucky and I was blessed with my lung transplant,” he said. “I mean, it was not easy. I will admit that I actually, you know, burst out crying. I’m just like, ‘You gotta be kidding me.’ And I was all alone.”
