Donnell Hunter came down with COVID-19 in September 2020, and was quickly admitted to the hospital due to breathing struggles. He's now back in his New Mexico home—550 days later, KOB-TV reports. During those 550 days, he was in nine different hospitals and medical facilities, sometimes as many as eight hours away from home. He was placed on a ventilator, which he still uses at night, while he gets supplemental oxygen during the day. He uses a wheelchair and is working on walking without assistance, and is also working to regain lost function in his right hand. He had to relearn how to use his arms and hands, eat and swallow, and even do speech therapy, NBC News reports. But he's home. "I went 550 days without seeing my kids, I have a grandson that I hadn't met and that is the big thing," he tells CNN.
The 43-year-old and his wife Ashley, 34, have five kids ages 4 to 14, and Hunter also has two older children, ages 21 and 27. In addition to the grandchild's birth, he missed one child's first day of kindergarten, his son's football season, and much more. Being immunocompromised due to a kidney transplant—he was diagnosed with kidney disease as a teen and was on dialysis for years—Hunter's family was particularly concerned he might not make it. A sheriff's escort and parade welcomed him home. "(My grandson) was the first one I saw, and he acted like he's known me all his life," Hunter says. "He was reaching for me, giving me a kiss. It was so awesome." (More uplifting news stories.)
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