JUPITER, Fla. — A husband and wife remain hospitalized on Friday at Jupiter Medical Center after contracting COVID-19.
They both did not get vaccinated, and the wife is now sharing their story, hoping more people will take the virus seriously.
Juan is a co-pastor at a local church and is in critical condition. WPTV is told four other pastors and at least 15 others at the church all have COVID-19.
"When it hits you, it hits you hard," said Juan's wife, Cindy.
For the past 14 days, Cindy has been at Jupiter Medical Center undergoing treatments trying to beat COVID-19 as her husband Juan remains in the ICU, also battling the virus and fighting to survive.
"He's hanging in there. He has an air pocket in his chest that they're hoping to continue to go down," Cindy said.
Cindy's doctor recorded video from her hospital room and posted it on his Facebook page.
Since then, her husband has been put on a ventilator and is in critical condition.
"She hasn't seen him for 14 days. We're trying to get her to see him," said Dr. Todd Bradford, the chief of medicine at Jupiter Medical Center.
Bradford is working non-stop with the recent surge in coronavirus cases. He said the majority of his patients and people being admitted have not been vaccinated, and now Cindy regrets her hesitation.
"I think I would have not been so scared with all the media and gone out and got the vaccine for both of us," Cindy said.
Dr. Bradford said Delta variant is fueling the rapid rise in cases. He's only had two breakthrough cases and said their symptoms were more mild than those who are not vaccinated.
"Just released a gentleman, 46 years old, who was here for a month because of respiratory. Still had to go home on oxygen, has rapid heart rate," Bradford said.
Bradford hopes this is a wake-up call, and Cindy recorded video wanting to help convince more people to get vaccinated.
"She was hoping that her story and especially his story could get out there and impact," Bradford said. "If you're on the fence don't let this happen to you or your family."
Bradford says he started to speak with Cindy about being discharged and is hopeful she will make a full recovery. Her husband Juan remains on a ventilator and has started on dialysis.
