Last week, we told you about little baby Erin Bates in the UK, who won a battle with COVID-19 while recovering from open heart surgery, as well as infections and defects in her lungs.

Now there's more good news to report, as a woman in El Paso has overcome the odds and won her battle with COVID-19 as well.

KFOX-TV reporter Keenan Willard shared the inspirational story of Rachel Gutierrez Madrid. Back in 2017, Gutierrez Madrid had a brain tumor removed. The ordeal left her legally blind on top of the epilepsy she was already dealing with.

That's a lot to lay on one person, but Gutierrez Madrid stayed strong and battled it out for the people she loved.

Gutierrez Madrid started feeling sick back in mid-March. Willard reports that tests for the flu and strep throat came back negative, but when she went in for COVID-19 testing, the results were positive.

As so many of us have heard since this whole pandemic began, COVID-19 can cause particularly nasty and often fatal complications for people with underlying health conditions. When Gutierrez Madrid's test came back positive, her family feared the worst. Her son, David, told KFOX-TV it was scary because her immune system was already weak.

KFOX-TV reports that Gutierrez Madrid was admitted to University Medical Center in El Paso for over a week as her symptoms worsened. However, she started to gradually improve, and she tested negative for the virus on Saturday.

According to David, his mom said if she can take brain cancer, she can take anything. That's one tough Texas mama!



I'm so relieved every time I see a story about someone with an underlying condition wiping the floor with COVID-19. I care for my mother, whose lungs took an absolute beating back in the winter of 2015 when she was in the ICU for over two months with pneumonia. Her recovery was long and tough, but she finally got back to where she could move around the house on her own, then to the point where she could drive herself and go shopping again. (She hates when I do the grocery shopping because I don't spend hours in the store hunting deals like she does. Typical mom.)

Stories like Racheal's and Erin's give me hope that if my mom does end up catching this bug, she may be able to defeat it. If you care for a loved one in a similar situation, I hope you find hope and comfort in these stories as well. We've all got to keep fighting and keep COVID-19 safety and awareness top of mind.

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