COVID-19 Miracle: Doctors Uncover How a Father's Brain Adapted to Coronavirus

Doctors have set out to study the brain of a 31-year-old father of two, reported as the youngest patient to suffer a stroke due to coronavirus.

Omar Taylor spent six weeks at the Colchester General Hospital in the United Kingdom. He had COVID-19, as well as pneumonia, sepsis, respiratory failure, and later on had a stroke. The father of two was intubated and was put into a coma over the course of his treatment.

A Reference Case

Stroke consultant Dr. Joseph Ngeh, who cared for Mr. Taylor, also co-authored the report regarding the "miracle case," submitted to the British Journal of Hospital Medicine.

Dr. Ngeh says that the report would raise awareness about the risks of COVID-19 causing stroke. Taylor also expressed the same sentiments about his case.

"Omar is the youngest patient we have found in medical literature to have had a stroke caused by the virus," Dr. Ngeh said. He also described Taylor's case as "very intriguing," and that he will remember it for the rest of his life. Taylor's case shows that even in young patients, the coronavirus can trigger an inflammatory response, causing stroke.

Dr. Ngeh noted that Taylor's MRI image showed markers that are unusual for a patient as young as him who had no previous stroke risk factors. He added that multiple microbleeds found in the scan suggests a cytokine storm—an immune response where the body releases too much cytokines—induced most probably by COVID-19.

"He had the most severe stroke you can have and his brain was being attacked on both sides," Ngeh noted, adding that the vast majority of patients need extensive 24-hour care after having the stroke like the one Taylor had.

On the Way to Recovery

In a statement to BBC News, Omar Taylor said: "I am very happy that the team of doctors were so interested in my case and I hope it can benefit doctors in the future when treating patients who are in a similar critical condition to me and save lives like they did mine."

The 31-year-old man spent about 20 days connected to a ventilator inside an intensive care unit. He was later transferred to the stroke unit after his attack and was eventually discharged. One of his friends created a fundraiser for Taylor, eventually raising close to £19,000, or more than $24,000.

The proceeds were used by the family to fund Omar's regular therapy sessions. His treatments continue at their home in Rowhedge, a village near the city of Colchester, where he was admitted.

Omar's wife Kaitlyn has been training to be a hospital nurse. In an interview with a local news outlet, she shared being "incredibly proud" of her husband. She also noted that her husband's experience left him with limited speech and a weakened left hand, but added that Omar had been improving and is "working so hard."

She also said that Omar hopes to return to his job soon. Mr. Taylor works as a regional director of British health and social care company Care UK.

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