A 46-year-old triple-vaccinated father, who managed to survive COVID-19 after almost a month in a coma, is keen to warn that this virus can strike down those who least expect it.
” You have to be careful. I was an active guy, ”says Nicolas Chicoine, short of breath, sitting near his hospital bed.
This week, the 46-year-old survivor, frail and weakened, agreed to receive The newspaper in his small closed room in the unit specialized in cases of coronavirus at the Sacré-Coeur Hospital, in Montreal.
Slowly but surely, the patient regains strength. Since Jan. 31, when he tested positive, he’s lost almost 40 lbs and weighs just 108 lbs.
As his case was only getting worse over the days, Mr. Chicoine was plunged into an artificial coma on March 14.
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We see him here while he was in a coma for the last few weeks.
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However, he had received his three doses of vaccine. The Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare resident had no known health issues. He was neither a drinker nor a smoker. But the doctors discovered a small mass, a thymoma, tells us his spouse of the last two decades, Nancy Lebeau, 47 years old.
“It would have stopped the vaccines from working. He had no antibodies and was immunosuppressed, ”explains the one who has been at his bedside since day one.
- Listen to the testimony of Nicolas Chicoine and his wife Nancy Lebeau, at the microphone of Philippe-Vincent Foisy, on QUB radio:
The following weeks were difficult for her and their three children.
Ms. Lebeau claims to have been afraid of losing her childhood sweetheart two or three times, as her condition was regressing.
“Cases like his, we can count them on the fingers of one hand,” she says to qualify the rare journey of her spouse.
“It’s like winning the lottery, but in a negative way,” continues Ms. Lebeau, who has written everything down in a notebook.
“I fought,” admits the mechanic, now out of breath for nothing.
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It can also be seen that he looked good and weighed almost 40 pounds more before contracting the virus.
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He is nevertheless delighted to have contracted the virus this winter, and not two years ago.
“In 2020, I don’t think I would have made it through. We were lucky, they have expertise now,” he said.
Now that he is finally on the mend, Mr. Chicoine is keen to raise awareness that the virus is still a threat.
“We don’t know what’s hanging over us,” said the outdoor enthusiast, referring to this unsuspected mass discovered after his hospitalization.
His story will certainly have served to raise awareness among those close to him, he believes.
And one thing is certain, his experience will force him to change his own daily life.
“Before, I was less afraid. There, I am afraid, he confides. We must not stop living, but we must be careful. »
“I will no longer drink from other people’s glasses”, gives as an example the man who does not even allow himself to hug his children aged 18, 21 and 23 yet.
“It’s hard”, breathes, with tears in his eye, the father disappointed to have missed the birthdays.
Today, Nicolas Chicoine promises himself to “live one day at a time”.
“I will enjoy life. Don’t forget to say I love you to those you love,” he says, empathetic as he thinks of the suffering of his loved ones during his coma.
Yesterday, Mr. Chicoine was transferred to the Joliette hospital, where he began his rehabilitation.
“We can’t wait to go home,” concludes Nancy Lebeau with a smile. She received her share of support, to hold on.
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