Pinehurst, NC – Hundreds of community members gathered on Thursday for a cook to raise money for a Moore County firefighter battling COVID-19.
John Wilson, who works for the Southern Pines, Aberdeen and Pinebluff fire departments, was recently released from the ICU after battling coronavirus for more than a month.
Wilson, who tested positive for coronavirus on Jan. 7 before spending more than 40 days in the ICU, is making progress, but he still has a long way to go.
All the money raised during Thursday’s fundraiser at the Pinehurst Surgical Clinic will go directly to Wilson’s family to pay his medical bills.
Nearly 1,000 people showed up to support the Wilson family.
Wilson, who is 6 feet 3 inches and 240 pounds, is affectionately referred to by Southern Pines residents as the “Big John.”
His wife, Jessica Wilson, said that in addition to high blood pressure, Wilson was a healthy man before getting COVID-19. During his time in the ICU, Wilson suffered blood clots in his lungs. He was severely sedated for weeks and lost 45 pounds before being released from the ICU on February 25.
WRAL reporter Bryan Mims contributed to this report.