ORLANDO, Fla. – Popular football consultant Coach Christopher Vasseur, who has a large social media following, had no clue he was practically at death’s door during his recent seven-day fight at AdventHealth in Orlando.
The 37-year-old, known as Coach Vass, said he tested positive for COVID-19 after feeling unwell.
Recommended Videos
[TRENDING: Doctor in critical care for COVID | Hospitals run low on nurses | How, when to watch meteor shower]
“I started feeling a little funny about two weeks ago,” said Vasseur, who added that he had planned to get vaccinated but didn’t because of underlying health issues.
Vasseur said his doctor wanted to run some tests before he got his first shot. He was waiting on the final medical clearance when he got sick.
“I was dying to get it,” he said of the vaccine.
Fortunately, after feeling sick, a friend of his advised him to get treated with the virus-fighting antibodies Regeneron. However, neutralizing the virus wasn’t enough.
“My hands were blue and I literally sat in the car. I was so cold,” Vasseur said on Wednesday.
The following day he took to Twitter to update his more than 15,000 followers and request support. He said things started to escalate quickly.
COVID UPDATE: I’m currently experiencing a modern medical miracle, so I apologize in advance if I’m a little emotional on this thread. After being told last Wednesday that I might not make it, I will be discharged from the hospital this evening, after less than 7 full days. (1/6)
— Coach Vass (@CoachVass) August 10, 2021
“I couldn’t catch my breath, and I looked at my girlfriend and I said, ‘Call an ambulance. It’s over, I got to go,’” Vasseur said.
The next few days were a blur of treatments and tests to stabilize his breathing and to treat pneumonia. With the assistance of dedicated nurses and medical professionals, he said it was still an uphill battle.
“That gasping for air, that feeling I will never forget as long as I live,” Vasseur said.
Vasseur said he knows he survived a catastrophe that can only be called a medical miracle. He said he is grateful for the medical team that saved his life.
“There are so many people that came in with me. There were multiple nights where the nurses had three other patients, and all three were ready at any time they could pass, and here I am seven days later at home.”