NYC paramedic fighting for her life against coronavirus, family says

A 34-year-old New York City paramedic, who has asthma, is on a ventilator at a Brooklyn Hospital and fighting for her life after testing positive for COVID-19.

Christell Cadet reportedly left work last week after having a coughing fit. Days later, she was diagnosed with the potentially deadly coronavirus, New York Daily News reports.

Cadet’s mother, Jessy, tells Insider that because of hospital guidelines amid the viral pandemic, she has not been able to visit her ailing daughter.

“She’s stable, but critical. She’s sedated in the ICU. She’s getting the best care that she can,” Jessy said. “We are hoping for the best. We are praying.”

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According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), most people recover from the coronavirus without hospitalization, which could be why Cadet was quite optimistic last week despite her condition. On Friday, she told CNN that despite showing symptoms, she didn’t expect to be hospitalized.

“I did not think it was going to get me this bad,” Cadet told the outlet. “My asthma is really under control otherwise.”

But according to her mother, this time was different. Over the weekend, Cadet’s condition took a turn for the worse. She was hospitalized after collapsing outside her Queens home, and family members found her on the ground struggling to breathe. She later tested positive for COVID-19.

Cadet is currently sedated in ICU and has a breathing tube down her throat, the report states.

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“It’s really, really difficult for me. I can’t think or focus. I try to remind myself I have to remain strong even though she can’t hear me right now,” her concerned mother said.

“It’s terrifying and we’re just hoping she makes it through to the other side,” said friend and fellow FDNY EMS paramedic Sherry Singleton. Singleton has created a GoFundMe to help Cadet with financial expenses.

No other family members are showing COVID-19 symptoms at this time. Jessy said the hardest part about this ordeal is not being able to visit Cadet in the hospital.

“This is the part that is killing me, but I have no choice,” she said. “I have to cope with that for the welfare of everybody else.”