When Sarasota resident Sheila Moore tested positive for COVID-19 this summer, she assumed it would be a mild case. “I was in perfect health,” the 69-year-old Moore said.
“I really had no pre-existing conditions, and usually I'm never sick. Probably the last time I went to a hospital was when my daughter was born. And I thought well, even if I catch it, it's gonna be pretty mild,” she added.
But Moore’s symptoms quickly progressed, and on June 30, she was admitted to Sarasota Memorial Hospital for treatment. The weeks and months that followed found Moore in critical condition. She spent nearly 7 weeks in a coma and on a ventilator.
“It devastates you, and you are at death's doorstep,” Moore said of her battle with COVID-19.
Her journey to recovery lasted 3 long months — making her hospital stay the longest of the nearly 900 patients admitted at SMH for COVID-19 care.
But on Sept. 30, as Moore was discharged from Sarasota Memorial’s Rehabilitation Pavilion and finally able to go home to her loved ones, she was already looking toward the future: “I have another shot at having a great life,” Moore said.