Covid-stricken Fil-Am wakes up from 6-week coma
HONOLULU — A Filipino American bartender from Ewa Beach celebrated his 38th birthday after waking up from a medically induced coma for coronavirus.
Coby Torda had Covid-19 symptoms on March 9 and was hospitalized March 21 at Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center. Torda later developed secondary pneumonia from his breathing tube.
After waking up from a medically induced coma for six weeks, he has been able to breathe without the ventilator for as long as 11 hours, his family said.
Torda’s mother, Peggy Torda-Saballa, who also contracted the virus but has recovered at home, told KHON2 that “He was near-fatal when we got him to the hospital. It was really touch-and-go the first 2-3 weeks.”
Torda, now testing negative for the virus, has lost about 85 pounds and cannot talk normally because he’s still on a ventilator.
But he has been responsive to instructions and is even texting. His mother said he has also been taking selfies.