After her family worried she would not make it out of hospital, a 21-year-old woman in Quebec who contracted COVID-19 has emerged from a medically-induced coma.
Mélodie Trépanier Léger, who hails from Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que., was not vaccinated against the novel coronavirus when she began experiencing symptoms last month, her parents told Global News.
The young adult had to be placed in a medically-induced coma at the McGill University Health Centre’s Royal Victoria Health Centre in Montreal as her condition quickly deteriorated.
Sharing photos from the hospital, Trépanier Léger took to Facebook this week to report that she is on the mend.
“I was there, I experienced hell. My heart gave out three times. It started beating on its own all three times,” she posted Wednesday. “I don’t remember everything, but I still remember the atrocious things I saw when I was on my deathbed.”
Trépanier Léger goes on to say she was scared but that she fought hard, her vital signs are improving and she is healing “extremely quickly.”
“I have mostly encouraged a big gang to get vaccinated,” she said. “I am proud of each and every one of you.”
When reached by Global News, Trépanier Léger said she wasn’t in a position to provide interviews as her recovery is ongoing.
The young woman’s parents have been outspoken about her hospital stay, in hopes of inspiring others to get vaccinated. Jimmy Trépanier said his daughter didn’t believe in COVID-19 and had refused to be immunized.
Sophie Léger, her mother, has been sharing updates in French on social media and penned #vaccinpourmelo to raise awareness in recent weeks. She shared her daughter’s photos on Wednesday, describing her recovery as a “beautiful miracle” thanking all those who supported the family.
“Thank you to all and continue our fight together for Mélo, life and humanity,” Léger said. “Yes to the vaccine to protect our loved ones.”
—With files from Global News’ Annabelle Olivier, Olivia O’Malley and Anne Leclair