Three Travis County brothers beat COVID-19 after fighting for days on ventilators

AUSTIN, Texas - After spending days on ventilators fighting COVID-19, three Travis County brothers are now able to leave the hospital having beaten the virus.

The three Ayala brothers, Jose Guadalupe, Juventino, and Jose Maria all recently contracted the virus around the same time. All three needed to be hospitalized and eventually, all three were put on ventilators.

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“This is a really serious disease. You can become critically ill, and you will be without your family, which is really hard,” said Juventino Ayala.

After spending more than two weeks in the hospital with most of that time on ventilators, all three have beaten the virus.

“It was really one of the best things in my career to see each one discharged,” Dr.Elizabeth Douglass, Dell Medical School's infectious disease specialist, said

Dr. Douglass was with the brothers every step of the way. She said she couldn’t be happier for them and their families especially with how serious their conditions were.

“They were fortunate enough to have the help to pull them through with the support of the pulmonary critical care doctors, the internal medicine doctors, the outstanding staff and I have to say there was an element of luck. When we are seeing a 50 to 80 percent mortality of patients on ventilators from COVID, I think there was an element of luck,” said Dr. Douglass.

The brothers spent more than 10 days on ventilators and said they all had one thing one their mind which helped to keep them fighting. “Family, family because we were desperate but family kept us going,” said Jose Guadalupe Ayala. Now they are looking to donate their plasma as a way to help those still fighting. 

RELATED: Stay-at-home order extended for Travis County

As more businesses begin to open up across the area, the three brothers have a message for those who go out. “For everybody to continue to be cautious and continue to protect themselves, wearing masks and cover, because we suffered tremendously and got very ill. This was the most difficult thing I have gone through not just for me but for my family,” said Jose-Maria Ayala.

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