‘Nearly died in front of my children’: Nick Viropoulos shares experience with COVID-19

·

Father-of-two, Nick Viropoulos, has opened up about his scary ordeal with COVID-19 in a video for the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service.

In the video, Nick shares how he tested positive for the virus and nine days after he was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in hospital fighting for his life.

Nick says that although he only had a mild cough at first, his fever continued to worsen and reached “just under 41 degrees Celsius.”

“By trying to reduce my fever, I burnt a hole in my stomach because of the (excessive) Nurofen. So I was bleeding internally,” he says.

“I nearly died in our home in front of my family because I thought I could fight this. I’m a fit, strong, active man and because of our inaction, I nearly died in front of my children on the lounge.”

‘Worst experience of my life’:

Nick’s wife and two young sons, aged 10 and 8, later tested for COVID-19 as well.

“On the day I went to hospital, my wife was separated from our children. For twenty days, our children were on their own, without their mother and father,” Nick says, while adding that they were well-looked after as part of a pilot program at Randwick Children’s Hospital.

In the meantime, Nick was told to say goodbye to his loved ones because after a scan of his chest, doctors thought he wouldn’t survive.

He ended up being in ICU for 16 days and in a coma for 12 and says rehabilitation from the after-effects of COVID-19 and ICU “were the worst experience of my life.”

“I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t lift my hands, I couldn’t control my bodily functions,” Nick explains.

“I went through the rehab process of learning how to walk, I had to learn how to swallow, I still can’t smell and taste food.”

Nick says he also has “neurological nerve damage,” pain in the extremities of his body and his feet, and needs oxygen at night.

This all leads him to give a final warning message in the video – “Do not let this happen to your family, your loved ones, your wife, your children, your friends… Listen to the professionals and protect yourself from this insidious disease.”

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

How younger Greek Australians are redefining mental health conversations

Conversations once hidden in the shadows are now in the spotlight, bringing mental health to the forefront.

NSW urged to act on worsening elder abuse crisis

A new report from Relationships Australia NSW (RANSW) reveals that 15% of elderly Australians are currently experiencing abuse.

More civil war-era mass graves found beneath Greek city park

Another grim discovery has surfaced in Greece, where 14 bodies believed to be victims of civil war-era executions have been unearthed.

Restored classic ‘Boy on a Dolphin’ returns to Greek cinemas after 70 years

Long before Greece became a go-to backdrop for global cinema, one film forever changed how the world saw it — Boy on a Dolphin.

Greece to introduce harsher penalties for dangerous driving under revised highway code

Parliament is expected to approve a revised Highway Code (ΚΟΚ) on Tuesday, introducing tougher penalties for traffic violations.

You May Also Like

Con Poulos leads effort to contain Queensland fruit fly outbreak in Glynde

A QLD fruit fly outbreak has prompted quarantine measures, with residents required to keep homegrown fruit and veg on their properties.

The Last Violin: New documentary set to capture the creative genius of Harry Vatiliotis

A new documentary, titled The Last Violin, is currently in the works and will focus on the life of prolific luthier, Harry Vatiliotis.

Evangelos Goussis pursues appeal amid claims of withheld evidence in Moran murder case

Victoria Police and Victoria’s Office of Public Prosecutions have been accused of hiding information which could have altered a murder trial.