Florida man released from Connecticut hospital amid wife’s desperate search for COVID-19 treatment

ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida father of six, Robby Walker, was on a ventilator with COVID-19 pneumonia in both lungs just a few weeks ago.

Walker, who wasn’t vaccinated, had been given a very slim chance to live by doctors in Florida, but Wednesday, he was released from Gaylord Specialty Healthcare in Connecticut after spending 30 days there being treated.

Walker was also reunited with staff from Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford where he spent several weeks.

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Walker’s wife, Susan, gained national attention with a “desperate” search for care for her husband.

“When they told me he was dying, I just didn’t accept it,” she told CNN last month.

So Susan and her family members created a list of nearly 200 hospitals and started calling, but none of them were able to take Walker.

After exhausting the list, Susan went on CNN to plead for a chance for her husband.

READ: August, September were top 2 deadliest months of the pandemic in Orange County, officials say

A Doctor in Connecticut saw the story on his Facebook feed and connected Susan with a doctor at St. Francis where the treatment Walker needed was available.

Walker was intubated and flown 1,200 miles on a special medical flight from Florida to Connecticut.

“From when we left Florida, we were told he was not going to even survive the trip, and did I know what I was up against,” Susan said Wednesday outside Gaylord Healthcare. “I put faith in the Lord that he would get us where we needed to be. We have so much support back home and...I was willing to take the chance.”

And that chance paid off. Walker stood up in front of microphones Wednesday to a round of applause and thanked the doctors in Connecticut who saved his life, but had some harsh words for doctors in Florida.

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“I’m just glad they looked at me as a person, instead of a statistic, which is kind of how we were being looked at in Florida,” Walker Said. “I don’t know that there’s anything I could ever say to show the appreciation.”

After his experience, Walker went on to encourage others to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible.

“Absolutely get it. You don’t want to be where I’ve been...even though these are great people...still don’t want to be where I’ve been.”

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Cox Media Group