ORLANDO, Fla. – Kevin Rathel was the first person in the southeast to get the convalescent plasma treatment, according to doctors at Orlando Health. Monday, he was released from the hospital and was reunited with his family.
As Kevin Rathel was wheeled out of the hospital, there was a crowd of doctors and nurses cheering him on. He was a patient at Orlando Regional Medical Center for 18 days fighting COVID-19.
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“I’m glad to be out of there, 20 days is long enough. I’m excited to see the kids and thank the plasma donor. I’m glad they were able to do that otherwise, I was a goner,” Kevin Rathel said.
He was on life support and other forms of treatment didn’t seem to work, according to his wife, Stacie Rathel. After pushing for convalescent plasma treatment, doctors at ORMC got approval from the FDA.
“I could actually hear people praying for me while I was in the coma, every second, every minute, every day, every hour," he said.
The Rathel family credits the hardworking medical staff at ORMC and James Crocker for Kevin Rathel’s survival. Crocker heard about Kevin Rathel through a mutual friend and drove from South Florida to donate plasma to help save a stranger.
“The urgency of donating didn’t take priority in my life until my awareness went from a general need to a personal need. Kevin Rathel, Stacie -- the kids need their daddy. Then I dropped everything and spent a few days to get it done,” Crocker said. “My contribution feels small in light of the 24/7 support of all the nurses and doctors and yet, if you’re out there and thinking ‘what difference can I make?’ Go donate plasma, you could be the one small, necessary piece.”
[READ MORE: Man becomes first to receive coronavirus plasma treatment at Orlando Health]
Stacie Rathel got a secondary test and plans to donate convalescent plasma as soon as she is cleared.
Doctors said Kevin Rathel still has a long road to recovery at home. His family hopes his story of successful treatment will encourage others who recovered from COVID-19 to donate plasma.
Click here for information on donating plasma.