These are images that haunt Marcel Lacour. Those of his companion, Anne-Marie, in a coma, intubated in intensive care. These two 73-year-old vitreans contracted Covid-19 in April 2021. In a few days, their health deteriorated sharply, until their doctor designated only one destination, the hospital. “I remember that the firefighters arrived, and then after that, it was the black hole”, remembers Anne-Marie. The couple fell into a coma the same day.
Marcel will stay there for two weeks. Anne-Marie, will wake up later. He leaves the hospital at the end of June, while his partner is still hospitalized. “I spent days there, all alone. Nights, without being able to sleep”, he says, sobs in his voice. “I wondered every morning if she was still alive. I’m not religious, you know, but I’ve never prayed so much.” “He was more scared for me than him, actually. Seeing me, seeing how I was hooked up, it’s pretty shocking I think.” Anne-Marie will finally be released in July.
Heavy aftereffects still today
Despite the care of caregivers, rehabilitation, both still have serious consequences. Anne-Marie does not walk well, she needs crutches, Marcel him lives on oxygen, almost all the time. He has many medications, receives visits from nurses “twice a day, physiotherapist, twice a week”. A heavy daily life that Marcel does not wish on anyone. “I tell them to people, don’t hesitate, get vaccinated because you can’t know what you’re going to fall on. It could very well be like my daughter and my son, just a little fever, but you can. very good to come across what is harder as we have had. “
“Miraculous”
“We were very lucky, it’s even unbelievable. We were on the verge of death and got away with it, and besides the two of us, it’s a stroke of luck.“, adds his companion. Both”miraculous“In the words of the doctors, still have a moment of happiness to remember from 2021. Their wedding, in October. “I told her, you’re gonna fight, and we’re getting married after“, recalls Marcel. “We said to ourselves, if something else happens, at least we will have done that”, Anne-Marie completes.
Both have a lot of gratitude towards the hospital teams, who have been by their side for weeks. “You know if we got away with it, I think it’s thanks to the medical staff who were so kind and professionally professional, it’s them who gave us life back, in fact” , believes Marcel.
Confusion around the sanitary pass
However, today it is difficult to be fully serene: vaccinated at the end of the summer with the Janssen vaccine, Marcel was refused access to the hospital in Vitré at the beginning of the week, where he had to do A radiograph. Blame it on its vaccination schedule: first announced as a single dose, it now takes a second dose of vaccine to complete it, before the booster dose. “We didn’t know, no one told me ... “, he assures. He has no vaccination appointment for the moment before the end of February, but without a health pass, he cannot follow his treatments correctly. Pascale Cartron, vice-president of Vitré Community, aware of the situation took the file in hand and visited the couple on Thursday.