84-Year-Old Marin County Woman Battles Back From Bout With COVID-19
RICHMOND (KPIX 5) -- By now, it's understood that some of the most vulnerable to the coronavirus are seniors, especially those with serious underlying medical conditions. KPIX met with 84-year-old Doris Bloch, who told her amazing survival story.
Bloch, from Marin County, has been through a lot--she survived lung cancer, has acute asthma and manages type 2 diabetes.
Now, at 84, she was UCSF's tenth case of COVID-19.
"When I was in a room at the ER, I was tested and I was told that I had the coronavirus! A doctor came in and asked, 'How do you feel?' and I said, 'Afraid,'" Bloch recalled.
She spent nearly a week in the hospital but says her strong spirit kept her fighting even though it was a dark time.
Lisa Bloch, Doris' daughter, said her and the family were terrified. "And I think the really hard part was not being able to go to the hospital and see her! I think just the shock, I think when she was told that she was positive, she thought they were saying, 'You're going to die.' So, it was a scary time for our family," Lisa Bloch said.
But Doris Bloch said she was having none of the negative thinking. "My son asked me if I thought I was dying and I said, 'No! I'm not going to!'"
She never needed a ventilator, but she stayed focused on her breathing. Five days later, doctors said she could go home and self-quarantine.
"When I got home, I was very weak, and eventually, day by day, bit by bit, I began to, recover and here I am!" Bloch said.
Lisa Bloch said her she doesn't know where her mom's immense strength comes from.
"I wish I had half of it. But I think she just always been that way. Just a tough woman, she ran the LA Food Bank for 15 years and she's used to getting things done, and I think she also used to not taking 'no' for an answer!" she said.
For many seniors like Doris Bloch, COVID-19 can be deadly serious, but she says that the fight can be won.
"I guess I'm proof that you can fight this, and you can win!" she said.
