National Post (National Edition)
Fight of his life
Man, 68, tests positive the day of vaccination
CALGARY • April 14 was supposed to be the day Adrian Bussoli, 68, received his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Instead it was the day he took a test for the virus.
By the next day, the Calgary small business owner and active volunteer was in the ICU in a medically induced coma and breathing on a ventilator.
Bussoli had to cancel his vaccine appointment because he was considered a close contact of another case. His business partner at Alberta Garment Manufacturing (AGM) caught the virus in early April, and Bussoli immediately started self-isolating as a precaution.
“My dad is a guy who goes by the book,” said Michael Bussoli.
At first he felt fine and an initial test came back negative. But while he was self-isolating, Bussoli developed a cough. Eventually he registered for a second test.
On April 15, when his second test came back positive, his family convinced him to go to the hospital that morning. He'd been having trouble breathing and sleeping for several days.
“(The family) got on a conference call at 8:45 a.m., and we finally convinced him to go,” said his son.
“Listening to his voice, he sounded like he was in such a fog. He wasn't answering quick. He wasn't on the ball. He had a super meek, quiet voice. And for anyone who knows my dad, he's a gregarious guy.”
Bussoli was admitted to hospital with an “abysmally low” oxygen level of 56 per cent, according to his son.
“By about 3:30 or 4 o'clock, he sent us a message saying, `I'm going into the ICU and I'll see you in a week.'”
Bussoli has been intubated and in a medically induced coma since then. Staff have told the family that he has shown some improvement after a week, with his lungs now doing 40 per cent of the work of breathing. When he was first intubated, the ventilator was doing all the work.
Michael said he and his siblings are now trying to keep their dad's business on pause while he battles the virus.
When he logged into his dad's business email, Michael saw he'd been contacting stakeholders to alert them of his positive test. Employees have been told to stay home for their own safety.
For years, AGM had been getting much of its business from the oil and gas industry. Michael said the 2014 downturn took a toll on his dad's business, but he'd pivoted to personal protective equipment in 2020.
“They started making masks and gowns,” said Michael. “They were making tens of thousands of each for private business and the military.”
Michael said his dad had been growing the business during the past year, bringing on new staff to meet the demand. AGM had about 10 employees and more work was going out to contractors.
He said although it was good to see new life in the business, concerns about the virus were always at the back of his and his siblings' minds, despite his father's caution for himself and the employees.
“They were taking the precautions so seriously,” he said. “They were taking every precaution.”
Adrian Bussoli has been active for years in community and sports groups. As the former president of the Calgary Italian Club (now the Calgary Italian Cultural Centre), he pioneered the nowfamous Ferrari raffles which allowed the club to pay off its mortgage in 1986.
Friend Martin Buting said since meeting through the Rotary Club of Calgary
HE'S BEEN A BUILDER ... HE REALLY GAVE BACK TO SOCIETY.
North, he has watched Bussoli always show up to lend a hand.
“He did everything from walking the roads, picking up litter to coordinating our major fundraising events,” said Bunting.
“He's been a builder. He's one of those guys with a small business who really gave back to society.”
Bunting said his wife is calling on Adrian's wife Sue daily to check in on her and ensure she is holding up as she self-isolates. Sue was able to get her first dose of the vaccine, but she still needs to remain off work.
Michael said he's frustrated that it took four days for his father to get a test. Being a by-the-book guy, he said his father refused to go to the hospital until he knew he had the virus.
For now, the family is relying on the “amazing” nurses and hospital staff to provide updates, as they cannot visit his bedside.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family with expenses. People who recover from being on a ventilator can face months of recovery.