BOSTON — Boston Police officer Omar Borges said he’s lucky to be alive after surviving COVID-19.
“If you’re lucky to be alive like I am, people should know it’s real,” Borges said.
He said back in April he wasn’t feeling well and took himself to Milton Hospital.
“I woke up at a different hospital 15-to-20 days later,” Borges said.
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Borges was transferred to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he was in a coma for weeks. Then, after a month in the hospital, hundreds of nurses, doctors and officers celebrated his recovery when he was finally released.
“Other than the birth of my children, that was probably one of the greatest days of my life,” Borges said. “Being able to come out of the hospital and hug my family for the first time in 30 days.”
Now, eight months later, Borges is still recovering. He said he’s in rehab still trying to get his body stronger.
“It’s crazy but it’s almost like a roll of the dice, if you’re the lucky one that’s asymptomatic, and maybe had a cough or a little bit of a fever one or two days, consider yourself lucky,” Borges said.
Borges considers himself lucky since he survived the virus. That wasn’t the case for his colleague, officer Jose Fontanez, who died from COVID-19 while Borges was in the hospital.
“We’ll never forget he didn’t make it,” Borges said.
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It’s a sad reminder of how serious the virus can be and why Borges will always be thankful for the nurses and doctors who saved his life.
“I will forever be indebted to them for working on me and keeping me alive, so I can have the chance to spend the holidays with my family,” Borges said.
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