Former Jacksonville Jaguars star Tony Boselli recently revealed the harrowing fear he experienced after contracting the Wuhan virus.
Boselli told Fox News that he spent five days in the hospital after testing positive for the virus.
The former offensive tackle ended up at the Mayo Clinic’s intensive care unit in Jacksonville, Florida, where he was given IV’s and oxygen. He added that he lost 20 pounds during the ordeal.
He said he last tested negative for the virus after his stay in the hospital, but he is waiting for an additional test to confirm the results.
“It was kind of fuzzy, but I remember [the pulmonologist] saying, ‘If we don’t get your oxygen stabilized, we’re going to have to go to the next level,” Boselli told Fox News. “I remember lying there thinking, ‘What do you mean if this doesn’t work?’ He says, ‘We don’t know what direction this is going to go.”
The former NFL player said that for those five days he was attended only by medical workers garbed in full protective equipment.
“I don’t know if I ever was like I thought I was going to die, but I remember having the conversation with myself: I don’t want to die here,” Boselli continued.
The five-time Pro Bowl player said he decided to get tested after being in contact with someone who later tested positive. But a mere two days after asking to be tested, he came down with symptoms.
Boselli claimed that his condition seriously deteriorated over the next few days.
“I thought I was getting better, then I woke up one day, and I was going downhill fast,” Boselli added. “That’s when I was like, ‘Holy cow … this is real.’ When I went to the hospital, I thought I was going to get some fluids and some meds. They took an X-Ray and said, ‘You’re not leaving. You’re going to ICU.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ You realize that this stuff gets out of control pretty quick.”
Boselli added that he was entirely healthy before coming down with the virus and admitted that he now understands how life-threatening it is to those who are already vulnerable before catching the virus.
“There are people who have underlying medical issues like asthma and diabetes and compromised immune systems. We have elderly people, obviously. I can’t imagine not being healthy and going through what I just went through,” he said.
“The thing is, it’s real,” Boselli insisted. “This is not a political debate. This isn’t if you’re on one side of the aisle or the other.”
He also thanked the medical professionals who helped get him through the health crisis.
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