By Rachel Engel
NEW YORK CITY — An 8-year-old boy who was rushed to the hospital with a mystery illness related to COVID-19 has recovered and was welcomed home by the first responders who helped save his life.
ABC 7 reported that those who responded to the call lined the sidewalk outside of Jayden Hardowar’s home after he recovered from pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome, an illness affecting children that has recently been linked to the pandemic.
Hardowar developed a fever for several days, and then his heart stopped. His brother gave him CPR while first responders were en route. Firefighter Tom Gonzalez, who has an 8-year-old son of his own, said it was encouraging to see Hardowar beat the illness and return home.
“After what’s been going on the last few months, to see somebody come back and continue their life, it’s an amazing thing,” Gonzalez said. “It’s just insane out there, people have used the word apocalyptic being in the epicenter of this, but to actually see a good thing happen, it makes you feel real good inside.”