BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — On Sunday, at the Bakersfield Heart Hospital, 40-year-old Lisa Mundy continues to fight for her life.
She has been a patient for the past three weeks after testing positive for COVID-19.
Her family says after 22 days she has been taken off of the ventilator and is awake.
Mundy's 19-year-old daughter, Jamie Rosenblad, too has tested positive, along with her little brother, and grandparents.
"I got to Facetime her and see her face for the first time in a month," said Rosenblad. "It was so reassuring to see my mom look at me. It was a breath of fresh air, to see her and hear her whisper I love you."
Just a week ago, before waking up her mom had several other severe complications
"During all of this her lung collapsed and she had to go into emergency surgery, she got a blood clot, and a blood infection," Rosenblad said. "We believe she had pneumonia before and it turned into COVID-19. She is still COVID-19 positive and won’t get tested for another week."
Rosenblad says her mother on Sunday was moved from ICU and into CCU, which is an improvement.
Mundy had no idea she had been a coma for so long.
"When she came to the realization, she was emotional," Rosenblad said. "Anytime I would talk to her she would cry. She would say I miss you, and I can’t wait to come home to see you."
Rosenblad adds her mother suffered from previous underlying health conditions, such as lung disease. Just a few years ago she was hospitalized for over 30 days.
"It just has made me realize not to take anything for granted and you can’t take life for granted," Rosenblad said. "You don’t know when your last day is or someone else's last day.
According to Mundy’s doctors, she was not scheduled to be considered to be taken off the ventilator for another week. Her family is calling the progress a miracle.
"The next steps are that she has to learn how to do everything again," Rosenblad said. "She is doing physical therapy every day because she has no muscle; she has been in the same spot for almost a month. She is learning how to use her fingers, how to talk, and how to use her vocal cords."
Rosenblad shares that her mother still has a long road to recovery, but if she continues to improve she could be home in the next week or so.
The family also says they are forever grateful for the staff and doctors at the Heart Hospital.
According to Rosenblad, her mother doesn’t think she would have made it anywhere else.
