East LA man survives battle from COVID-19, doctors call it a miraculous recovery

LOS ANGELES - A coronavirus patient makes a miraculous recovery. 

Francisco Garcia knows first-hand just how bad COVID-19 can be. The virus almost killed him, but now months later, he is finally up walking again- an amazing recovery even his doctors call a miracle.

“Just believe me, you don’t want to get this virus, it’s really bad,” Garcia said from his hospital bed.

Garcia was transferred from an LA area hospital to Loma Linda University Hospital back in May. Doctors said at that time Garcia’s organs were shutting down by one by one. 

“He was in multi-organ failure, multiple organs affected. His kidneys shut down, his lungs not functioning because of COVID. He was on life support,” said Dr. Laren Tan with Loma Linda University Health. 

If that’s not enough, Garcia even suffered a stroke. A healthy 31-year-old man before… now near death from the virus.

“I don’t remember a thing during that time. Until I woke up here with a tube in my nose,” he said. 

Doctors are giving credit to medication and treatment that gave Garcia’s body time to heal and fight off the virus. Now he’s up and walking, something he hasn't been strong enough to do in months.

“I’m actually able to walk now -- more than when I first got sick. I don’t get as winded as before. I’m seeing a lot of improvement,” he said. 

It’s an improvement that has now left Garcia COVID free- a recovery doctors say should bring hope to so many others during this pandemic.

“If you get COVID it is not the end, there is definite hope. There are a lot of people who will get very sick-but there is a way to recover.”

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect Garcia's first name as Francisco, not Fernando as originally published.