Jeff Dillard, an Oxford public works employee, nearly died at the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania in 2022, writes Alison McCook for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
He was transferred to Penn in December 2021 with a severe case of COVID-19. He spent several months in a coma and on a ventilator.
Last week, he returned to the hospital for another occasion. He wanted to thank the team that saved his life.
He does not remember much of his time at the hospital and still does not even recognize the faces of most of the people who cared for him. However, he wanted to make sure they knew he was grateful for all they had done for him. They clinked bottles of Wawa iced tea to celebrate.
“I’ll never forget it,” he said.
“The first couple years of COVID were such a vulnerable time for us as healthcare workers,” said Jennifer Olenik, one of the doctors who cared for him. “Jeff, your gratitude helped lift us up, and your story gave us hope. We’re so glad that you’ve made a full recovery, and thank you for bringing us together.”
Read more about Jeff Dillard and the Penn care team that helped him in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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