THE WOODLANDS, Texas — A woman who spent three months in a medically-induced coma in The Woodlands is now back home. And doctors are calling her recovery a miracle.
Michelle Tate’s battle with COVID started earlier this year. She had just moved to Houston from California and was unpacking boxes when she started to feel sick. Then a couple days later, she passed out while talking to her 7-year-old daughter.
Tate was taken to Memorial Hermann in The Woodlands, where doctors determined she had COVID-19. Her condition worsened and eventually she was put on ECMO, which is a device that pumps and oxygenates a patient’s blood, allowing the heart and lungs to rest.
She would spend the next three months in a medically-induced coma. Doctors thought she may need a double lung transplant, but instead simply tried getting her up and walking and that did the trick. Tate started to get better.
She went home last Thursday to her husband and daughter, who she had only seen once in four months.
“Thank you for teaching me how to walk again. Thank you for teaching me how to talk again,” Tate said. “An ICU nurse made my daughter two blankets which she still sleeps with right now. I’m so happy to be home to get those blankets tonight.”
But before leaving, Tate had one request to get a COVID vaccine.
She’s protecting herself and getting healthy as a thank you to those who kept her alive.
“Thank you for your kindness, because kindness takes love,” Tate said.