Retired doc survives COVID-19 after family twice says goodbye

DANBURY — Twice, Dr. John Famiglietti’s family gathered virtually to say goodbye over video calls as the retired surgeon battled COVID-19 in the hospital where he spent his career.

Three times, he was intubated for a ventilator and extubated, moving in and out of Danbury Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.

For seven weeks, “everything that could go wrong, went wrong,” said Jillian Kisker, referring to her father dealing with a perforated lung, hematoma, blood clots, infection and sepsis. In April, the family was told he needed a tracheotomy to have any chance of survival.

But on Wednesday, 49 days after he was admitted to Danbury Hospital, Famiglietti was discharged and carefully maneuvered out in a wheelchair, past clapping and cheering doctors and nurses he worked alongside before they cared for him. He had the longest stay of any of the hospital’s COVID patients.

“It feels like I came back from the dead,” he said, as he settled into his daughter’s car, his grandchildren seated behind him and reaching around to hug him. “I’ve decided to rename myself Lazarus.”

As the hospital’s employees celebrated his release, some with tambourines and cowbells, others wiping away tears, Famiglietti clapped for them. At the entrance, his daughters, their husbands and children waited impatiently, each wearing a mask and gloves and holding signs.

Kisker’s son, Mason, held a poster that read, “I’m here to hug my Pop,” a promise each family member fulfilled, one by one.

Last was his wife, Pam, wearing a plastic gown for added protection. Though she hadn’t seen him since March, she kept her distance from the fray, waiting by the door until others stepped back. She’s battled the virus herself for nearly as long as her husband, and finally tested negative last week, before testing positive again. She’s feeling better, she said, but needs another negative test to be cleared.

“It’s like a miracle,” she said. After being called multiple times to say goodbye, “he’s made a remarkable recovery.” She’s not sure how either of them contracted the virus, though she wonders if he may have become sick while working part-time in White Plains, N.Y.

“The reason I’ve made it this far is because of the incredible expertise and dedication of the medical staff, who are true heroes,” John Famiglietti said. “If you’re willing to risk your own life with a disease no one knows anything about, that’s the definition of the word ‘hero.’”

Many of the nurses and doctors who lined the lobby to cheer for his release recalled memories of working with him, and described him as “still part of the

family.”

Famiglietti, 71, worked as a general surgeon at Danbury Hospital for more than three decades before retiring six years ago.

“No words can describe how happy we are to see this day,” said Faith Cooney, a registered nurse who cared for him during his hospital stay. “It’s been such a roller coaster.”

While it’s devastating to see any of their patients battle the virus and its effects, it was particularly difficult for those who knew Famiglietti as a colleague, she said. “It’s hard sometimes to put your feelings aside.”

“We’re elated,” Cooney said. “I had to come down to see this.”

Famiglietti’s own memories of his stay are limited. Because he was sedated, he remembers almost nothing until last Friday.

Kisker said she heard so many stories of her father’s time working at the hospital, and thanked the staff who

“gave all that back to him.”

“You’ve given him a second chance, and you have no idea how grateful we are,” she said.

Famiglietti also thanked the hundreds of people who prayed and lit candles for him, including the many who didn’t know him, but still aided in his recovery.

“And I have the stubbornness and love of three women, my wife and two daughters, who wouldn’t let them give up on me, even when things were hopeless,” he said.

Famiglietti will need physical therapy and time to recover, but he’s already making plans for returning to normal activity, which seemed unfathomable only a few weeks ago.

Asked what he was looking forward to most, he answered without hesitation: “Running around with my grandkids, and playing baseball with my grandson.”