The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Amid virus battle, med team celebrates one patient’s success
She was saved at UCLA hospital with help from a machine used for most severe COVID- 19 cases.
On a cold Tuesday evening in January, Blanca Lopez and her son Criztiaan Juarez drove from their home in Glendale to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Lopez had been busy that day, going to a hair salon, getting her lashes done, preparing dinner for her family in her absence.
Five months earlier, she had nearly died of COVID- 19, and an ambulance, following the same route she drove this day, took her to UCLA.
As she pulled i nto a small parking l ot outside the emergency room, she saw two tents set up on either side of the entrance.
A representative from UCLA escorted her through the hospital lobby. At the main entrance stood a group of physicians, nurses, emergency medical technicians and other specialists. They wanted to see their patient again, this woman who had spent 51 days in ICU. Blanca Lopez had survived against all odds.
They applauded and reached out with air hugs. Rarely do medical teams, especially in the ICU, have an opportunity to meet patients once they leave the unit.
Lopez’s recovery had depended on a machine known as ECMO that circulated and oxygenated her blood outside her body. It is reserved for the sickest of those infected with COVID- 19, those who show no signs of improvement after being put on a ventilator.
“It is so nice to see the people who took care of me,” Lopez said, “to know there are people with such kind hearts. You do your job not just for the money like other people do. You do the stuff you do because you love to help people.”
Since Lopez had left UCLA in late October for a rehabilitation closer to home, Dr. Peymon Benharash has fielded inquiries from doctors trying to get their most critical patients on ECMO.
“It is hard on patient and staff to care for someone who is so ill,” Benharash said. “It is emotionally draining, but if you can get someone like Blanca back to her family, and then have a photo session three months later, then it is worth it.”
Nurse Lindsay Brant was especially thrilled to see Lopez. She re-created the shoulder-shimmy dance that she and Lopez had perfected during their time together.
“I want you to know how courageous you are,” she said. “This is something you need to carry for the rest of your life.”