Woman survives coronavirus complications, thanks to Parrish Medical Center team in Titusville

TITUSVILLE, Fla. - A woman from Santa Maria, California came to Brevard County for a visit but landed in the hospital with the coronavirus. It was an incredibly rough experience, but now she says, it's never felt so good to be home.

"I was really, really happy, but also kind of sad, because I made such good friends there with the nurses," said 62-year-old Joy Medeiros.

Medeiros was in a fight for her life. She caught the coronavirus, and there were complications.  She was put on a ventilator.

The ironic thing is that she came to Titusville from California to check in on her sister who was dealing with some medical issues; however, Medeiros ended up in what her doctors call an all-out medical crisis. 

Dr. Frank Dienst, from Titusville's Parrish Medical Center, talked to FOX 35 News about the tricky road to recovery. 

"We were all very worried for a period of time that she was going to succumb...there were several points in her treatment where we were not too sure she was going to survive it...when she had the episode with pulmonary edema and there was a point in time where her ventilator settings were maxed out," Dr. Dienst said. 

Joy’s total hospital stay was 41 days, but she says it's a blur because for most of it she was unconscious.

"I wasn’t there for 31 days because I was basically out of it," Medeiros said.

Medeiros had to do two planes and a long drive before she laid eyes on her front steps Thursday morning. She says she was scared another mishap might befall her before she hit her front door. 

"I was afraid the car was going to blow up before I made it home, but now that I’ve made it home, I can believe it," Medeiros said.