NEW ROCHELLE, NY – A year ago, a father of four in this New York suburb deteriorated within days of a mild cough until he felt like he was drowning.
It was one of the first coronavirus cases in New York. Governor Andrew Cuomo soon imposed an isolation zone on his city to reduce the spread and called it “Patient Zero.” There was an outpouring of support for the man’s family while he was in a medically induced coma, as well as a few blows from people who blamed him for an outbreak.
Now, Lawrence Garbuz says he feels a deep gratitude for the joys of being alive – his family, his Orthodox Jewish community and the beauty of a tree near his doorstep that he barely noticed before he fell ill.
At age 51, he counseled other Covid-19 patients seeking advice, and his wife, Adina Lewis, comforted many husbands. Some were devastated by the loss caused by a disease that killed more than half a million Americans by Monday, including 38,557 in New York.
“If you are able to sit and talk to someone and listen, that in itself is very therapeutic,” Mr. Garbuz said in an interview. “I think we will get over this whole pandemic when we listen more than we talk.”