In spring 2021, Sandy Truong and Danh Ong came to the emergency department at Maimonides in a whirlwind.

Their family had tested positive for Covid-19, including Sandy, Danh, his mother Khmet Tran, and three other family members. Troubling for any family to experience — and many families have over the past couple years — the situation was even more dire: Sandy was well into her pregnancy at this point.

When her fever began to reach 104 degrees on her seventh day of infection, Danh knew it was time to take her to the hospital.

“Up until this time, we were at home, no symptoms, no nothing,” he said. “Everything was great. We both were healthy as hell, but then she caught that temperature. After I parked my car, we walked to the ER. She walked maybe less than two blocks and she said, ‘I can’t breathe.’

Upon testing in the emergency room, Sandy’s oxygen levels were so low that she was admitted to the ICU that same day.

A Terrifying Crossroads

But she wasn’t the only family member in the ICU — she would be joining Danh’s mother, Khmet, who had been admitted for other issues the prior week, and also tested positive for Covid at the hospital. Khmet was no stranger to Maimonides, having received surgical treatment and chemo for uterine cancer a few years before this, with oncologists Albert Palileo, MD, Yiqing Xu, MD, and Christina Lao, NP. When Covid hit the family, her cancer had declined, but she was still undergoing radiation therapy.

Things moved quickly after Sandy’s ICU admission; the next day, she was intubated. Her oxygen levels continued to drop and were affecting the baby. Vijaya Bayya, MD, Sandy’s obstetrician, explained to Danh that they would need to perform an emergency Cesarean section along with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), in which a patient’s blood is pumped and oxygenated by an external machine. Paul Sanders, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon at Maimonides, led the ECMO treatment process throughout the C-section and afterward.

“The last thing I remember in the hospital room before giving birth was the nurse discussing my situation with the doctors,” Sandy said. “They were saying my oxygen wasn’t getting any better. Next thing I knew, I woke up, already gave birth and was recovering in the NICU.”

Baby Katherine was born on March 24, just a couple days after Sandy was admitted to the ICU, and would spend the next six weeks in the NICU. Meanwhile, Sandy and Khmet were both still unconscious and intubated, fighting Covid on the same floor of the ICU. Danh got into a routine over the next week, first visiting his mother, then baby Katherine, then his wife, every day.

Khmet had been due to be discharged around March 30, but Danh had a gut feeling her condition was still declining after a turn for the worse just after the time the baby was born.

“I got a chance to show her a picture of my daughter before she went into a complete vegetative state,” he said. “She didn’t really get to talk, but when I spoke to her and showed her the picture, her eyes just opened up. I don’t know if that means she acknowledged it, but I’m really hoping it does.”

On March 31, Danh was preparing to go visit them again as he had every day for the past week — a period of time he could only describe as surreal. But before he arrived, he got a call with the news that his mother had passed away.

“The day before she passed away, she was kind of waiting for everyone to say bye to her. Before she went, she was waiting for Sandy. I had to explain to her that Sandy was still in a coma and couldn’t say bye to her.”

One Door Closes, Another Opens

The night before his mother’s funeral, Danh received the news that Sandy was finally awake and conscious again.

“Waking up everything felt surreal,” Sandy said. “I had this out-of-body experience. I knew I gave birth, but my mind still wouldn’t register it [because I wasn’t conscious] through the whole thing. I just felt cheated a little bit, not going through the whole birth experience.”

Although she was confused upon waking about the timeframe of the situation, and even about where she was, the ICU staff did their best to explain it all and make her comfortable while she waited for Danh to return to the hospital.

Danh waited for his wife to regain consciousness before ever holding Katherine, so Sandy was able to be the first one to do so.

On April 6, Sandy was discharged from the ICU, followed by baby Katherine a month later. One of the most challenging times of their lives was coming to an end, although the family was still devastated that Khmet couldn’t return home with them, or meet her granddaughter.

Danh remains thankful, however, for the years he got to spend with his mother after her cancer diagnosis.

“Believe it or not, the doctor who did her surgery [Dr. Palileo] said that a lot of patients that had her exact symptoms didn’t live past a year. He blessed us with three years, which was great.”

According to Danh, being able to see his daughter is what kept him going through this incredibly challenging time.

“All I could do was hang on,” Danh said. “It was unbearable some days. To be honest, it was the staff’s support that actually helped me make it through this. They kept telling me, ‘Oh, she’s doing great. She’s getting better,’ every single day. Everyone that was involved in this case was very, very helpful. I’m really happy the proper support was there.”

Maimonides’ Hallmark – Seamless, Remarkable Collaboration Between Departments – Gets Patients Through Darkest Days

The ICU and NICU staff guided him through each of his family members’ progress, good and bad, and rooted for the family through it all. The Heart & Vascular Institute delivered their part, keeping Sandy alive during the worst of Covid — reflecting the individualized approach and seamless collaboration between different departments that have become hallmarks of patient care at Maimonides.

“My husband pointed out who took care of me on the floor—everyone was just so happy to see that I recovered,” Sandy said. “They said, ‘You’re the miracle story of the floor!’

“And even at the NICU when I visited my daughter afterwards, you know, they were always asking how I was and [saying how glad they were] that I recovered.”

Today, Katherine is thriving. She will turn two years old in March 2023. She is reportedly “obsessed” with yogurt and loves the show “Gabby’s Dollhouse.”