A 14-year-old teen celebrates her birthday in a hospital while she was recovering from COVID-19. The Southern Californian teen explains why it is essential to take the deadly disease seriously after fighting for her life for two months in the hospital.
Did not expect to get COVID
Augustina Rojas told PEOPLE that she did not expect she would get the virus. However, in early June, she was she was diagnosed with coronavirus after she felt ill; she was 13 years old then. She said that she could not breathe and her head was hurting. She knew she was sick but did not expect it to be COVID.
Jose Rojas, the teen's dad, was also shocked to learn of the news. His daughter had no underlying health conditions and was healthy. He explained that it was kind of a surprise and he was nervous because they did not know what was going to happen.
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She got admitted to the hospital
Augustina officially got admitted to the Children's Hospital of Orange County on June 7. She was having respiratory distress during that time. Initially, they gave her a high-flow nasal cannula. It is a device that gives supplemental oxygen to patients.
Then her condition worsened so she needed to have Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP), a non-invasive breathing support mask. Doctors gave the teen a breathing tube and a ventilator as weeks went by.
They considered putting Augustina on an ECMO heat-lung machine at one point. It would give her cardiac and respiratory support. The teenage girl could not remember any of the physical trauma to her body.
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Dad watched his daughter fight for her life
However, Jose said that he had a very different experience since he watched his daughter fight for her life for almost two months. He was worried and confused because he was afraid his daughter would not make it.
He told his daughter that everything will be alright despite Augustina was being sedated. Thankfully, toward the beginning of August, his daughter's condition improved after she received nitric oxide and was positioned on her stomach.
Teen wakes up
Everyone was surprised when Augustina woke up after doctors weaned her off sedation and ventilation support. She was released from CHOC Children's after 57 days. Staffers gave her a "cheer tunnel" as they applaud for her with posters, streamers, and balloons.
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Augustina started rehabilitation to do basic tasks. She felt that it was nice to be able to live normally and do what she used to do before. She celebrated her 14th birthday on August 28 while she was recovering.
On August 31, she was finally able to go home after she was discharged from the rehab facility. Now, she is always wearing her mask and wants to remind people that "COVID is not a joke." She explained that little kids or adults could get sick so they have to wear masks at all times.
