COVID-19 patient released from Emory Hospital after more than 3 months
ATLANTA - A Union City man is thankful to be back home with his family after spending more than three months in the hospital with COVID-19.
Derek Duncan, 54, was discharged from Emory Decatur Hospital on Monday afternoon.
"I'm feeling blessed to be able to pull through this and come home," said Duncan.
The father of five was rushed to Emory University Hospital on April 28 and spent weeks in intensive care before getting well enough to be transferred. Duncan's hospital stay was not only difficult on him but also his family, who because of strict visitor policies tied to the virus, were not able to see him in person.
"It was extremely hard, but thanks to Emory, they reached out to me, kept me informed with what was going on," said Carline Duncan, Duncan's wife.
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The family said they connected through video chats and hospital-facilitated Zoom calls but look forward to simply being together again.
"Just being able to talk to him whenever I want to, being able to sit down with him, just have laughs and stuff like that," said Duncan's son, DeJuan Duncan.
Duncan said he was thankful to the hospital staff who helped him during his recovery.
"There were plenty of times when I felt like, 'I'm ready to go home,'" explained Duncan. "I thank Emory and what they did to help motivate me along so that I was able to make it to this point where I'm going home."
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He also warned people not to take COVID-19 lightly.
"This is nothing to play with. It's nothing to play with. I lost several friends of mine. They checked into the hospital and never did come home," said Duncan.
The family said they are grateful for all the friends and relatives who offered support and prayers during this difficult time.
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