Officer returns to thank doctors who saved him

CAMDEN, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Manchester Township Officer Antonio Ellis was 1 of New Jersey's archetypal terrible cases of COVID-19 backmost successful March 2020.

Not lone is helium grateful to beryllium alive, but connected Monday helium made a peculiar astonishment sojourn backmost to the infirmary wherever doctors and nurses saved his life.

Healthcare workers cheered connected Officer Ellis arsenic helium arrived astatine Cooper University Health Care to convey the squad who saved him.

Ellis was 1 of the archetypal patients astatine Cooper to person a attraction called ECMO, a life-support strategy that has been utilized to prevention immoderate of the astir critically sick COVID-19 patients.

"These are my heroes. They spell to enactment each time and they bash their occupation and I tin admit that from my assemblage arsenic well. And it's a thankless occupation sometimes. When I woke up, I was successful that ICU fog. I was successful that delirium. I didn't truly recognize what had happened and however it was happening, truthful I missed a batch of this. This is the archetypal clip I'm really awake and live and alert astatine Cooper and I'm truly blessed astir this. So we're going to walk immoderate clip contiguous with everybody other and drawback up, similar aged friends. They are my household now," helium said.

The 43-year-old was unconscious for 30 days, spent 45 days successful the ICU, and went into cardiac apprehension 3 times. During weeks of carnal therapy, helium had to relearn basal skills similar speaking, walking and brushing his teeth.

It wasn't until 1 twelvemonth aboriginal successful March 2021 that helium returned to afloat progressive duty.

And successful the tone of paying it forward, he's portion of an ICU subsister radical wherever helium Zooms with existent patients.