Medical Student Working At Worcester Field Hospital After Recovering From Coronavirus
WORCESTER (CBS) - Fourth year UMass Medical student Michelle Shabo had just finished a rotation in early March when she found herself thrust from provider, to patient.
"I started having a little bit of a cough and then that progressed to a fever and I became so weak. My whole body hurt. I could not move out of bed," she said.
After weeks sick with coronavirus at home, she was hospitalized.
"I've taken care of many patients who have had difficulty breathing. I've always had sympathy for them. But now I truly feel like I have empathy. When it physically hurts to breathe and you're looking at the monitors that tell you your body doesn't have enough oxygen. It's really, really scary," Shabo said. "There was definitely a moment in the hospital where I was like, 'This could be it. I could die.'"
But even without family allowed at her side during her hospital stay, she never felt alone. And it's that compassionate presence, she's now prioritizing in her work. Fully recovered, the Worcester native is back on the front line – working overnights at the city's DCU field hospital.
"This is operating under the assumption I have immunity, but it makes the most sense for me to go. I've already had this. Why should someone else be exposed if I've already seen the worst of it?"
She hopes people will remain vigilant as restrictions lift and implores recovered Covid-19 patients to donate the life-saving gift of plasma.
"As a young and otherwise healthy 28-year-old, coronavirus nearly took my life. I urge young people to take this seriously," she said. "It really is something we all need to do our part to prevent the spread."