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Awake and alert, Fort Good Hope man with Covid out of induced coma

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Myrine Kakfwi smiles from his hospital bed on Monday, just days after he came out of a coma. He now requires less oxygen output from his ventilator and communicates with his parents with a marker and whiteboard, said his mother Dolly Pierrot, who is from Fort Good Hope. Kafkwi was diagnosed with Covid-19 in December and became critically ill weeks later. photo courtesy of Dolly Pierrot

A man originally from Fort Good Hope who became critically ill with Covid-19 has come out of a coma and has experienced significant improvements since Saturday.

"He's awake. He's alert. He's aware that his father and I are in the room with him," his mom Dolly "Dee" Pierrot said Monday.

Her son Myrine Kakfwi was diagnosed with Covid-19 in December and put in the intensive care unit at the University of Alberta hospital in Edmonton.

Following his hospitalization, the 30-year-old Myrine contracted double pneumonia and his right lung collapsed. After some initial easing of his symptoms, when he was able to Facetime with his family from his hospital bed, his condition deteriorated. He was put into an induced coma and on life support and had developed three lung infections.

Myrine Kakfwi smiles from his hospital bed on Monday, just days after he came out of a coma. He now requires less oxygen output from his ventilator and communicates with his parents with a marker and whiteboard, said his mother Dolly Pierrot, who is from Fort Good Hope. Kafkwi was diagnosed with Covid-19 in December and became critically ill weeks later. photo courtesy of Dolly Pierrot
Myrine Kakfwi smiles from his hospital bed on Monday, just days after he came out of a coma. He now requires less oxygen output from his ventilator and communicates with his parents with a marker and whiteboard, said his mother Dolly Pierrot, who is from Fort Good Hope. Kakfwi was diagnosed with Covid-19 in December and became critically ill weeks later. photo courtesy of Dolly Pierrot

But Pierrot said that Myrine is now off all of his sedation and his antibiotic treatment was reduced from four medications to two.

"They did a chest X-ray (on Sunday) and the doctor was quite pleased with the results. He's writing down things on a white board with a marker. He can't speak because he has a tube in his throat.

"He wrote (on the white board) 'the X-ray guy said thumbs up.'"

Pierrot added that on Sunday Myrine was able to stand up and sit down, and his ventilator output was reduced from providing him with 45 per cent oxygen to 35 per cent.

"He's doing most of the work breathing by himself," Pierrot said.

Wayne Kafkwi, left, stands by his son Myrine in the University of Alberta hospital in Edmonton, on Monday. Myrine's condition has improved his Saturday, after he came out of a coma and is able to breathe with less assistance from a ventilator, said his mother Dolly Pierrot. photo courtesy of Dolly Pierrot
Wayne Kakfwi, left, stands by his son Myrine in the University of Alberta hospital in Edmonton, on Monday. Myrine's condition has improved his Saturday, after he came out of a coma and is able to breathe with less assistance from a ventilator, said his mother Dolly Pierrot. photo courtesy of Dolly Pierrot

Doctors have told Pierrot and Myrine's father Wayne that even though the Covid-19 infection has left his body, it will take some time until he can leave the hospital due to the hole in his right lung that needs to be repaired.

"They can't tell us what else they can do because they don't know yet."

His mother stressed that Myrine's experiences since his diagnosis shows the seriousness of Covid-19.

"I just encourage everyone to get that vaccine because we're so isolated in the small communities. There are no ventilators in the communities."

Myrine moved from Fort Good Hope to Edmonton about two-and-a half years ago with plans to pursue carpentry at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. He had been doing carpenter apprentice work until his Covid-19 diagnosis.