Organizers of a GoFundMe page are telling the story of a Kamloops man who contracted COVID-19 and was in hospital for months, spending time in a coma on life support, before being released two weeks ago.

Fundraiser organizer Meghan Huburdeau says Ken Sugimoto was first admitted to Royal Inland Hospital on Feb 5, which was deemed to be from severe pneumonia symptoms at the time.

But she says it wasn’t until weeks later, after the COVID-19 pandemic had been declared by the World Health Organization, that Sugimoto was determined to actually be suffering from COVID-19. Huberdeau says he had contracted the virus while travelling outside of Canada.

Sugimoto was called “patient zero” by hospital staff in Kamloops, according to Huberdeau.

“Kenny spent many months on life-support and in a coma and miraculously survived,” Huberdeau says. He was discharged from hospital on Halloween after spending just under nine months there.

“Because of Kenny’s deteriorated muscle mass, his mobility was limited.  He is unable to walk on his own at this time and he requires assistance with everyday activities that most of us take for granted.”

Huberdeau says the fundraiser is meant to raise money for a stair-lift that Sugimoto now needs at home and for other mobility equipment. “For those of us that know this kind-hearted man, Kenny has put a smile on all our faces. It’s now our turn to put a smile on his face,” she says.

According to posts online from family, Sugimoto retired on his 70th birthday earlier this year before contracting the respiratory virus.

At time of posting, Sugimoto’s fundraiser had a goal of raising $20,000 and it’s raised more than $15,000.

A link to his GoFundMe page can be found here.