Wauwatosa Man, 76, Who Said He's 'Giving Up' Survives COVID-19

BROOKFIELD, WI — At one point, George Dimitropoulos said he felt like giving up.

A 76-year-old native of Wauwatosa, he was admitted into the Ascension Elmbrook hospital on April 29 with fever, chills, an upset stomach and difficulty breathing.

It wasn't much later he learned that he was in the midst of a battle for his life against COVID-19.

Over the weekend, Dimitropoulos was very ill and at the end of his rope when he told staff to let him die, according to hospital officials. Ascension physician Talal Khairi told him he wasn't going to let him do that.

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Khairi said the team at Ascension Elmbrook used several medications to attack the virus. In addition, Dimitropoulos’ treatment included high-flow oxygen therapy, proning and convalescent plasma.

On May 15, after 16 days in the hospital including a stay in the intensive care unit, Dimitropoulos was seated in a wheelchair as he was pushed past a corridor of applauding nurses and hospital staff.

Dimitropoulos was going home.

“God bless everyone,” he said. “Thank God I am alive. I want to thank all the people at the hospital who cared for me. There is nothing better than your health.”

Dimitropoulos was one person fortunate enough to beat the odds. According to Wisconsin Department of Health Services data, 128 of 453 COVID-19-related deaths are in people between the ages of 70-79. One out of every 15 people in Dimitropoulous' age group who get COVID-19 do not survive.

Dimitropoulos’ daughter, Nicky Zarmakoupis, said the ordeal was an emotional roller coaster but, "This hospital gave my dad the best care. There was unbelievable communication with the family, and we are so happy for the care he received. Everyone was so attentive, and at a point when we didn't think he was going to make it, they let us see our dad and I think that's why he lived."

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