NORTH RICHLAND HILLS (1080 KRLD)- A 24 year old North Richland Hills woman is going home after being hospitalized for 79 days fighting COVID-19.
Paola Castillo was working at the bank when she complained of being tired and felt sick and asked her boss if she could take the next day off. On April 27th she arrived in the ER at Medical City North Hills with difficulty breathing, a cough and fever.
She spent more than a month in the ICU and on a ventilator where she said her husband and mother were told it was "touch and go." In the ICU while on the ventilator, medications kept her sedated and calm and she recalls only a few interactions with staff in what she thought were dreams.
After slowly being weaned from the ventilator, Castillo took her first steps weeks later.
Staff say her road to recovery is far from over after discharge, but the staff are celebrating her fighting spirit and remarkable recovery against dismal odds.
Listen to her story in her own words.