Local 67-year-old defies the odds & beats COVID-19 after briefly flat-lining

Local 67-year-old defies the odds & beats COVID-19 after briefly flat-lining

Covid-19 has dominated 20-20.

The term brings a lot of fear and negativity to the forefront of people's minds.

But one wabash valley man has a story that might just bring you a bit of hope.

News 10's dominic miranda spoke with him today.

Dominic joins us now with more on this remarkable journey to surviving covid-19.

Fear....worry....sadness.

That's what comes over many of us when we hear covid-19 but sullivan county's dan pigg has a story that can give us all something we've been lacking.....hope.

Pigg lived through the coronavirus nightmare....and came out a survivor.

[take pkg duration:2:54] pk} in the early morning of april second... 67 year old dan pigg was working on his farm on the outskirts of vigo county with his twin brother.

That's the day that began this incredible story.

A story best told through his own words.

"i do remember him saying 'you don't look so good.'

So i went home and i just sat there in a lawn chair...i felt so bad.

And my wife took me down to sullivan hospital.

I don't remember anything about sullivan hospital.

I was intubated around noon.

Then by 4 o clock... i was on full life support."

*beeping sound* "i straightlined for about 30 seconds.

Those guys down there stood by my side from 11 am to 7 pm 2 of them were my heart.

They were doing this number.

And then one of them was my lungs with the bag."

"around 7 or so.

They just said you are too bad for here.

We're going to send you by ambulance to regional hospital so i went up there where i was put on a ventilator which at that time was a death sentence because only 3 percent of the people put on a vent that were over 65 make it."

"it was a medically induced coma.

2 weeks later they pulled me off of that and a disease control doctor at regional.

He was the first person that i remember talking to and he kept on saying things like you know dan you're going to make it.

The worst is over.

You're going to live.

I had no idea what he was talking about.

I did not know that i had the coronavirus until after i woke up at the icu unit at regional hospital."

"i was in bad shape.

I couldn't move my hands or feet or anything.

I couldn't even turn over in bed.

That's how bad i was.

And then it kinda hit me i thought.

You know i may not get out of here."

But after 37 days of isolation, being in the hospital, and completing rehab.

Dan was able to come home.

"you know there were a lot of times when i felt discouraged.

My friends never left me, my family never left ,me.

Looking back, i can actually say that it was more of a positive than a negative.

Physicaly it hurt, but i think the mental and emotional pain from being left alone all that time was even worse.

I'm just so thankful.

Thankful for everybody.

There were 3 people down there in sullivan that if they had not done their job correctly, i wouldn't be here.

When it was over i said level with me doctor.

Be honest.

How close did i come?

He said you got as close as you could possibly get and still make it.

*shrugs* reporting... dominic miranda news 10...