100-year-old Marine Corps veteran survives COVID-19 in Central Florida

OVIEDO, Fla. - A centenarian and Marine Corps veteran survived being hospitalized by COVID-19 and is sharing his story with FOX 35 News.

At 100, John Henry Chaney still likes to ride his bicycle every day.

“I feel great every day,” Chaney said. “The only thing I do is ride that bike and walk and look at the news. I like to know what’s going on in the world.”

Learning about COVID-19 spreading around the world and then contracting the virus himself.

“I would never thought that I would have anything like that,” he said.

Chaney lives in Oviedo with his daughter, Mary Johnson.  She said she knew something wasn’t right.

“He was having an issue with shortness of breath,” Johnson said. “When his temperature spiked 99.9 I said, ok we gotta go to the hospital.”

He was admitted right away at the Oviedo Medical Center in March.

“They say when I got to the hospital that I had pneumonia,” Chaney said.

He later tested positive for COVID-19 and was unable to have any visitors. He kept his 15 children, 38 grandchildren, and six great-grandkids updated by sending cell phone videos.

“That’s the first time we’ve ever been apart since he’s been living with me since my mom passed away,” his daughter said.

After just three days on oxygen and other treatments, he was able to finish recovering at home.

“I am blessed,” Chaney said. “The good Lord has taken care of me for something.”

Chaney has survived a lot in his 100 years; serving in the Marine Corps in World War II’s Battle of Iwo Jima, a cancer diagnosis, and the loss of his wife in 2002. Now, five months after his fight with COVID, he’s doing well.

“I feel like I’m about 60 years old,” Chaney said.

And he’s still riding his bike.

“He rides that bike every day,” Johnson said.