Three months after being on a ventilator due to COVID-19, Jason Joros says he’s ready to go back to work as a registered nurse.
“I don’t think I’m very scared about it. I want to help as much as I can,” the West Coast University-Los Angeles nursing graduate told NBC4 Los Angeles. “That’s why I became a nurse.”
Joros, an RN at MemorialCare Orange Coast, and his wife Cristina, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Garden Grove Hospital, both fell ill due to the coronavirus, but Jason was hit the hardest.
Once admitted to the hospital, Jason said his condition steadily declined and he had to be intubated.
“I only had a chance to tell the nurses wheeling me down to the ICU that ‘Please tell my wife that I love her,'” he said. “I’m feeling a lot better now. They threw the kitchen sink at me in terms of treatments.”
Besides almost dying, Joros’ lip became painfully swollen due to an experimental drug reaction, his hair fell out from the stress of the event, and he needed speech therapy after being placed on a ventilator.
But since regaining his voice, the 31-year-old has been sharing his story with local media outlets and trying to impress upon people the seriousness of the pandemic.
“We both feel that the message hasn’t been received by a lot of people. You can get COVID-19 from someone who doesn’t look sick and you can give it to someone even if you don’t feel sick. It doesn’t matter how old you are and it can still be really bad even if you are healthy,” he said.
Cristina said their family will always be grateful to the hospital staff where Jason was admitted — many of whom Jason knew as friends from previously working there. And she urged others to wear face coverings and take steps necessary to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
“You don’t know if it’s going to happen to you or your loved one and when it does, it could be too late. You don’t know what you have until you’re about to lose it,” Cristina said. “It’s unreasonable to me after seeing what Jason went through, to see people (not wearing masks) and putting other people’s lives at risk.”
WCU provides career guidance and assistance but cannot guarantee employment. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or position of the school or of any instructor or student.
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