I Was Given a 4% Chance to Live — Then Came the Anointing of the Sick

Through a priest’s hands and holy oil, Our Lord came near — and what seemed like a farewell became a story of Christian hope.

I never imagined the defining moment of my life would arrive as I lay helpless — isolated by six weeks of intensive care, in a coma and on a ventilator, my body failing in every way. My odds were grim: COVID-19 ignited raging bacterial pneumonia in both lungs, sepsis burned through my system, my kidneys failed and required dialysis, and blood clots formed in my brain. My fever peaked at 104.5°F. The doctors said my chance of survival sat at just 4%. Things were so dire that my son Jon was granted a “last visit.” Although my wife Evelyn’s faith never wavered, she was not prepared to say goodbye.

When I emerged from my coma, the prognosis was bleak. Doctors warned I might never walk freely again; my lungs were 80% damaged and scarred, and there was doubt I’d ever breathe without oxygen. Dialysis for life was not out of the question. Chronic lung and kidney problems are common for survivors of severe COVID-19. And yet, my fight was never truly solitary.

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