Brian Zupanick, 39, was willing to do everything for his partner of 10 years, John Giarratano, 42, to get treated. Giarratano showed symptoms of the coronavirus early this month. On March 13, Giarratano was admitted to the hospital after being diagnosed with pneumonia. Later, he was sent to the ICU. By then, Zupanick know that that was something aside from pneumonia.
Zupanick shares what he endured to save his partner's life since testing was delayed for a few weeks. He also shared how Giarratano had to suffer in his condition all by himself. He has a GoFundMe for medical bills.
How It All Started
On March 5, as the couple was going to bed, John said that he was chilly, so Brian asked if he has a fever. John said he woke up feeling okay the next day. However, when they checked John's temperature that night, it was at 101 degrees.
At that time, they heard about COVID-19 in the news, from which they learned that if one has the symptoms but is not experiencing difficulty in breathing, then it would be better to stay at home. John only had fever and body aches; however, his fever has gone up to 103 degrees. He went to Urgent Care in Mount Sinai affiliate in Oceanside, Long Island on March 13, where he had a flu panel done. His result was negative. He was suspected of having pneumonia, so he had an X-ray done, and he went to ER to confirm.
By the time they arrived at the hospital, John was already having difficulty breathing. However, Brian was still allowed to see John even though he could be positive with COVID-19.
Dressed in an appropriate outfit, Brian did all he can to make John feel better and spent some quality time with him. He then bid goodbye and said, "I love you."
John Had Difficulty Breathing
The next day, John called Brian, saying he was scared because he could not breathe at all. Brian was terrified because he knew John was like a rock and never gets sick. They got all the results of the tests except for COVID-19.
Soon, the hospital went into lockdown and did not allow any visitors. Brian panicked because he could not visit. The medical staff called him and said that John's heart is stressed because of the lack of oxygen. John's condition was stabilized only on a CPAP machine at 100 percent oxygen; however, later, he could not breathe into the machine anymore.
One night, Brian received a text saying, "Let him put the pipe in". The next morning, John went into acute respiratory distress, and in less than 24 hours, he was sent to the ICU then transferred to the critical care unit. He got intubated with 100 percent oxygen and was not allowed to be moved as his oxygen saturation levels will plummet.
Meanwhile, there was still no advice on John's COVID-19 tests, but he was going downhill. Everyone was frustrated, so Brian called the lab and tracked down the test in North Carolina. He was getting impatient, so he called the lab to ask about the results. He was told that results would come out by March 20 or 21. Brian said his partner would be dead by that time then hung up.
Brian Had to Do Something
Brian decided to take a chance and send an email to the president of Mount Sinai. Within seven minutes, he received a reply saying John's lab tests are expedited, and there was approval from the head of infectious disease to give John treatment for COVID.
Immediately, John received the treatment and even if it was risky for him to be transferred to the flagship Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, Brian and John's family agreed with the movement because it was the last option for John to stay alive.
Travel to Flagship Mount Sinai Hospital
John got to Mount Sanai Hospital safely. Fortunately, he did not need the oxygen machine anymore as his condition had already improved. He became stable after a few days, and they were working on his ventilation and testing his responses.
Recently, John was taken off his ventilator, and Brian could not help but cry of happiness. He was very thankful to Mount Sinai South Nassau and Mount Sinai Manhattan medical staff, whom he considers heroes.
Brian is still not allowed to visit John. He is doing self-isolation as of the moment, even though he tested negative of the virus. All he wants is to see John.
Brian said that one would not understand the severity of the disease until one has a family member or relative who is infected. Although he said that it is understandable, there is still a limit, and everyone should be careful.
Brian added that people should know how hard it is for a person not to see their loved ones. In his case, he has not seen his partner for over two weeks, even though John is already awake. He also wants to let the people know how terrifying it feels to be on the opposite end of a phone call while listening to doctors trying their best to keep your loved one alive. To him, this should serve as a wake-up call to everyone.
