AVON LAKE, Ohio — Pat O’Toole is a husband, father and grandfather.
“I’ve always enjoyed Father's Day,” O’Toole said. “I’ve got a brand new grandson at home. He was born nine months ago, so I really haven't seen that much of him.”
O’Toole has missed a lot since November.
“I’ve been in hospital care for about seven months. I was just like a vegetable laying in bed for five of the eight months,” O’Toole said. “This is horrible. I wouldn’t want my worst enemy to go through this.”
Shortly after O’Toole tested positive for COVID-19 the week of Thanksgiving, things took a turn for the worst.
“First three months, I remember nothing. It's been a long journey. I lost my ability to stand, to walk, to talk, to write,” O’Toole said. “The doctors told my family to prepare to say goodbye to me.”
O’Toole was intubated, had a feeding tube and is still using a walker due to the COVID-19 long haul effects.
“He's a miracle really, because they did not expect him to make it. When he could breathe, we could breathe. It was a good thing,” Mary Jo O’Toole said. “We were waiting. We were hopeful. We knew it was coming, so we just had to be patient.”
This Father’s Day weekend, O’Toole is reuniting with the ones who encouraged him to fight for his life.
