SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Update Oct. 31:
A Roseville father, Nate Toledo, was released from the hospital on Oct. 30 after nearly 2 months of fighting for his life after getting COVID-19, according to his wife Taylor Toledo.
Original story Oct. 1:
A 32-year-old husband and father, sickened with COVID-19 is fighting for his life in the Intensive Care Unit at the University of California Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California.
Nate Toledo of Roseville first fell ill with coronavirus on September 9, along with his two and four-year-old sons and wife Taylor Toledo. They were not vaccinated for coronavirus.
Taylor Toledo says she had safety concerns with the vaccine but has since been vaccinated. She says her husband was the type of person to avoid going to the doctor.
"Now, that we know how bad Nate gets hit with this, it is something that I did make a choice for my husband to get vaccinated," Taylor Toledo said.
She urges others who are not vaccinated to do their research and seriously consider it.
His wife and children have since recovered, but Nate Toldeo has already faced a harrowing 16-day-battle in the hospital that began when he was admitted to Kaiser's Roseville Medical Center on Sept. 16.
Nate Toledo operates heavy equipment with his family-owned underground construction company. He is described by his family as a dedicated, loving and caring husband and father.
"He is our entire world, you know we depend on him," Taylor Toledo said. "The kids look up to him."
Nate Toledo condition worsened and he had to be intubated and placed into a medically induced coma on September 23. His wife says her husband did not want that to happen, but doctors told the family it had to be done to save his life.
"That was probably the hardest day of my life because I had to talk to my husband who is in tears and tell him that we needed him," Taylor Toledo said.
Nate Toledo's family has not been able to physically see him since he was admitted to the hospital earlier this month because of the severity of his condition.
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The young father is now suffering from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Taylor Toledo said. ARDS is the result of severe complications from COVID-19 which causes fluid build-up in the lungs and obstructs breathing, which can result in organ failure, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Due to the severity of his illness, he was transferred to UC Davis Medical Center Thursday around 2 a.m. to be placed on the rare Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, an extreme form of life support. It took two days and a lot of phone calls to get Nate transferred UC Davis, Taylor Toledo said.
"ECMO is used in critical care situations, when your heart and lungs need help so that you can heal," according to the Mayo Clinic. "It may be used in care for COVID-19, ARDS and other infections."
Nate Toledo is one of just three coronavirus patients currently receiving this kind of treatment, according to UC Davis Hospital data released Friday.
The family has been in contact with doctors at UC Davis Medical Center daily and his condition remains stagnant.
While he is still in a coma, nurses allow his wife and children to talk to him through the phone. Taylor Toledo says they offer words of encouragement and tell him they hope to see him soon.
The mother of two says she finds her strength in God and has been surrounded and supported by family members through it all. She asks for the community to join in prayers of healing.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Nate Toledo that could be found here.
