ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis police officer who spent weeks in St. Luke’s Hospital with COVID-19 returned to the hospital to thank staff earlier this week.
Dave Tenorio tested positive for COVID-19 while on the job back in March of last year. He spent more than three weeks at St. Luke’s battling the virus and was released at the end of April.
He was the first COVID-19 patient in the area to be treated with ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) and released home, the hospital said in a Facebook post.
In an interview with 5 On Your Side, Tenorio talked about his journey to recovery. He lost 50 pounds battling the virus and continued to have physical and cardiac therapy for months.
“He couldn't even lift a glass of water,” his wife, Kathy, said. “I had to give him water in little paper cups.”
In August, his doctors told him he could do some light yard work, but he fell and cracked two ribs. This set his return to work back another five weeks.
“It was just a freak accident,” Kathy said.
He was able to return to duty the week before Thanksgiving. When he walked back into police headquarters, he was greeted with a standing ovation and applause that moved him to tears.
“It’s an amazing feeling, it really is,” he said. “Very emotional to say the least.”
On Jan. 13, Tenorio returned to St. Luke's, in his uniform and atop his motorcycle, to thank staff for the role they played in saving his life. As he rode up to the building, cheers and applause erupted.
“I’m extremely grateful. I wanted to come here today to show you not everything ends badly. I want to be a good luck person for you – to let you know what you’re doing is the most incredible thing. You are forever in my heart," he said.
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St. Louis officer who had COVID-19 returns to thank hospital staff
