Woman battling with COVID-19 for months goes home from Omaha rehab hospital

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - A patient who has been battling COVID-19 for months finally went home Friday.

The applause and cheers are well deserved for Sarah Drummond as she walks out of the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Omaha.

“I woke up today with a sheer determination that I’m walking from my room clear to the front door,” said Sarah.

It was Thanksgiving Day when she started feeling symptoms of COVID-19. She ended up in a special COVID-19 unit at Jennie Edmundson Hospital and was in a coma for five weeks then she transferred to Madonna for rehab.

“I could not walk, I was almost a vegetable. I couldn’t hold a fork, I shook so bad they had to feed me,” she said.

Sarah had to learn how to walk again, five days of therapy a week for more than a month. She starting building back her muscles with water therapy and other exercises.

All the hard work paid off, Sarah finally reunited with her husband Lee and their baby boy Aiden.

“Oh my gosh, I had so much anxiety and I just love him so much. I couldn’t wait to see them, it’s been a long time. I’ve seen my baby once in four months due to COVID. Like you couldn’t imagine how good it is to see my baby and go home, I could never have done it here if it wasn’t for Madonna,” she said.

Sarah took time to pose for a picture with the staff and she was presented with the Spirit Award. The award is given to patients who go above and beyond in their rehabilitation.

She already has a do list when she gets home.

“I’m going to hug my baby again and then I’m going to hug my dog and my cats and then I’m going to feed my fish. [And] then I’m going to cook,” said Sarah.

Sarah says she won’t forget all of the people who helped her recover and she won’t forget other long haulers fighting to shake off the effects of COVID.

“So I really want to help other COVID patients, I want to make sure that they know they’re going to survive this. They’re going to get through this and there is light at the end of the tunnel and it’s a happy ending,” said Sarah.

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Reporter Emily Dwire contributed to this report.

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