This pioneering 87-year-old surgeon says she wants to return to work after spending 50 days in intensive care fighting coronavirus before beating the disease.
Leading gastroenterologist Angelita Habr-Gama who was the first woman in many areas of the profession in her long career was taken into the Alemao Oswaldo Cruz Hospital where she works in the city of Sao Paulo in the southeastern Brazilian state of the same name on 18th March.
Her condition worsened and she was taken into the intensive care unit (ICU), where she remained for 50 days fighting the virus before she recovered and was discharged on Sunday.
In a statement, the hospital said: “Dr Angelita Habr-Gama has a special meaning for all of us here and for all health professionals. Dr Angelita is one of the most brilliant surgeons in the country and is internationally recognised for her work in the field of coloproctology and for her work as a researcher.”
Habr-Gama told local media after her recovery: “I didn’t expect the diagnosis, at that time we weren’t speaking about a lot of cases in Brazil. I am cured and have no sequelae. I lost weight and am weaker but I think I will regain it. I was intubated for 50 days in the ICU with sedation. You lose awareness of the world.”
The 87-year-old said if her recovery continues going well she hopes to return back to her work, and added: “What’s changed is that we are spending a lot of time dealing with death. We know that life only lasts for a certain amount of time, but we are not preparing for that moment, and it is a strange feeling to wake up.
“I woke up suddenly and it feels like a new life. My enthusiasm has been renewed, as I am aware of the value of every minute. Every minute is precious. Life is extraordinary.”
Habr-Gama was the first female resident surgeon at the Clinical Hospital in Sao Paulo, before creating the Coloproctology Unit there. She has published hundreds of scientific papers and won more than 50 national and international awards.
She was named the Coordinator in Brazil of the Colorectal Cancer Prevention Program by the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO), founded the Brazilian Association for the Prevention of Intestinal Cancer, and is an honorary member of the American College of Surgeons. She was also the first female to become an honorary member of the European Surgical Association.
According to the latest figures from the Johns Hopkins University, Brazil has suffered 169,594 cases of COVID-19, with 11,653 deaths.
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Story By: Alex Cope, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Central European News
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