"Look at Me" American Nurse Who Struggled with COVID-19 Discharged on Her Own Feet After Six Months

Merlin Paembuang Discharged from Hospital
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A nurse in her 60s who was fighting for her life due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States has safely been discharged after more than half a year of struggle. She encouraged COVID-19 patients by saying, "Do not lose hope and keep fighting."

According to foreign media including The Washington Post on the 24th (local time), Merlyn Pambuan (66), who was hospitalized in the intensive care unit at Saint Mary Medical Center in California due to COVID-19, was discharged on the 21st after 8 months.

Pambuan was infected with COVID-19 in March at the hospital where she had worked for 40 years.

Her condition worsened, and she was admitted to the ICU, but there was no improvement. From May, she remained unconscious for four months, relying on a ventilator and narrowly escaping death several times. Her family even prepared for her passing at one point.

However, miraculously regaining consciousness, she expressed her determination by saying, "I can move my toes after my fingers. I will fight COVID-19," and continued rehabilitation treatment. In October, the hospital even held a 66th birthday party for her.

Discharged in a healthy state that was hard to believe for someone who had been unconscious and fighting for life for months, Pambuan confidently walked out of the hospital doors to the applause and cheers of the hospital staff and patients.

She shared her thoughts on starting a second life, saying, "You must not lose hope and fight COVID-19. Look at me. Am I not walking home on my own feet?"

Meanwhile, according to the 'COVID-19 Tracking Project,' which compiles the status of COVID-19 patients in the U.S., as of the 23rd, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the U.S. reached a record high of 119,463.

So far, the cumulative number of cases is over 18.51 million, with more than 327,000 deaths.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.