Florida woman released from hospital after 9-month battle with COVID-19

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(Courtesy: WSVN)

MIAMI - A South Florida woman who has spent the last nine months in the hospital battling COVID-19 has finally gotten the chance to go home.

WSVN reports that 41-year-old Rosa Felipe, a technician at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital, contracted the virus back in March.

Felipe, who has underlying health issues, spent the last nine months in the hospital -- including two months in the ICU.

She has spent the last six months re-learning how to walk and get dressed. Doctors say she may lose part of her fingers due to severe lack of oxygen.

As Felipe used a walker to leave the hospital with nurses by her side, she broke down and cried.

“I’m overcome with emotion because I didn’t think I was going to make it,” she told WSVN. "The only thing that I can tell you is that this is real. Corona is real, the effects are real. But what’s more real is the love that I’ve received here, the dedication from my doctors and all the staff here."

Felipe has worked as a technician at the hospital for 15 years, and thanked the staff for saving her life.

"As an employee, and now as a patient, I can tell you Jackson is the best and it gave me a fighting chance,” Felipe said.

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When asked what message she would give to the public, Felipe urged others to do their part to save lives.

“It’s serious,” Felipe said. “Put on your masks. If you don’t want to put it on for you, put it on for other people who are more vulnerable. Put on your masks, wash your hands, maintain social distance, do your part. This has been hard.”