CHANDLER, Ariz. — A Chandler High School security guard and his family are sharing his story after he came dangerously close to dying from coronavirus complications.
“When I first got to the hospital they were telling me the horror stories, they were telling me I’m below 50% of my oxygen so if I didn’t come in that night, the doctor said I would have died in my sleep that night,” explained David Harris, a Chandler High School security guard now recovering from COVID-19.
That fear was echoed by Harris’ family.
“At that moment you’re just like please god, let him be OK and let it just be that I’m afraid,” said his wife, Olivia Harris.
Harris was diagnosed with coronavirus over the summer. Within just a matter of a few days of symptoms, he had to be rushed to the hospital. His wife Olivia and son Davion say their biggest fear kept playing out in their minds.
“Not knowing if he was going to come back or not. Yeah, I think the night that I took him, I had the kids give him a hug because truthfully he didn’t look good and I was really afraid that he wasn’t going to come back home.”
Harris spent 30 days in the hospital.
“In the hospital, he would hear a lot of cold blues so I think that would really put it in like OK, this is really bad.”
And the entire time he was there, he stayed focus on one thing.
“I just told myself as soon as I went to the hospital that I was going to fight,” Harris said.
But something else kept Harris fighting to beat this virus: the motivation and support from the Chandler community and the high school he’s been working at for three years.
“Chandler High School, all the coaches, basketball, all the coaches reached out, I think the love and the prayers that I got from the community and also the basketball community saved me as well,” Harris said.
Now, Harris is back home as he continues his road to recovery.
“He can’t really move a lot, like his saturation levels will go down a bit but he’s home and that in and of itself is a miracle honestly,” his wife explained.
It’s a miracle that Harris says he’ll always be grateful for, looking at life now as a second chance and a chance to help others who may have been diagnosed with the virus too.
“You know I’m just taking my time, one day at a time. I know for all these people this virus us no joke so please take care of yourself, wear masks, you don’t know until you get it.”
Harris’ family has set up a GoFundMe page to help them with things like medical expenses.
