A North Carolina doctor was left paralyzed after contracting COVID and ‘made peace’ that he wouldn’t survive the rare syndrome, but was able to make an incredible recovery and return to work at the hospital that
A doctor faced a difficult situation when he was left “paralyzed days after contracting COVID while attending a wedding with his wife and daughter.”
Dr. William Dugal, now 34, was diagnosed with a rare syndrome that developed after contracting COVID while attending a wedding with his wife, Rebecca, and baby daughter over the weekend -end of Labor Day in 2022. He soon learned he was suffering from the rare post-viral complication. called Guillain-Barré syndrome, and lost all ability to move, swallow or breathe without assistance – but he could still think clearly.
The syndrome is a rapid-onset muscle weakness caused by the immune system that damages the peripheral nervous system, and few interventions can slow its progression. Being a doctor himself, William quickly understood the seriousness of the situation.
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Unsure if he would survive his coronavirus complications, William said he “made peace with the thought that I was probably going to die.” But he was determined and continued to persist, and a miracle happened a few months later: he was able to start moving again.
William was living a normal life in 2022, his wife Rebecca having just given birth to a little girl named Caroline. He had just completed his four-year surgical residency and accepted a position as a private general surgeon in North Carolina.
In September 2022, he attended a wedding over Labor Day weekend with his wife and infant daughter. But after the family returned home, they all tested positive for coronavirus. However, William began to notice unusual symptoms.
“He said he felt like his toes were numb, and we thought it was because he was chasing all his cousins because he was wearing boots and everything (to the wedding), but it progressed quickly,” Rebecca told local news channel WFMY. “I remember we were walking through the airport and he was really struggling. He just continued to decline, his back pain was really bad.”
Within a few days, the numbness in his legs worsened and he could no longer walk. He recalls: “I knew something was seriously wrong.”
William then went to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital, where he was told he had Guillain-Barré syndrome – a rare condition in which the immune system attacks the layer around the nerves, called myelin, causing nerve damage. According to the Mayo Clinic, most people recover completely or experience only minor symptoms, such as numbness or tingling.
But the disease can be fatal, especially if the paralysis spreads to the muscles needed for breathing. There is no cure or definitive treatment, so doctors usually offer supportive measures.
“You don’t know how bad it’s going to get and you don’t know how long it’s going to last,” William said. “It was two kinds of anxiety for me.”
However, William said he was “acutely aware” of the seriousness of his situation as a doctor. He explained: “It was a very humbling feeling to realize that you are at the mercy of the process and you have to accept whatever happens.”
Unfortunately, William said his symptoms deteriorated over the course of a month in hospital “with complication after complication.” He quickly became paralyzed and was unable to swallow or breathe without assistance.
“I couldn’t move my eyes or blink,” he recalls. “And as this is happening, I can’t express enough the fear and uncertainty that I had.”
As his condition worsened, William had to be put on a ventilator, a decision that made him think he would never recover. He said: “I made peace with the thought that I was probably going to die. I looked at (my wife) and told her to take care of our daughter.”
William ended up spending two weeks on a ventilator, after which he developed pneumonia, both of his lungs collapsed and his oxygen levels dropped dangerously – which meant he wasn’t getting enough oxygen to his brain, which could be fatal. He started coding one night and doctors placed him on an ECMO machine, which supports heart and lung function.
William was on ECMO for about nine days before being put back on a ventilator, but he was still unable to speak, wiggle his toes or blink his eyes. “Your muscles are so weak,” he said. “I was completely trapped in my own body and sitting there, looking at the same spot on the wall.”
Things got worse when he lost his contract with a surgical practice because he couldn’t start on time due to his illness. Doctors advised him to be sent to an inpatient rehabilitation center, but the only one that would accept him on a ventilator was in Houston, Texas. So an air ambulance transported him to TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston.
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But it wasn’t easy because his first days were incredibly hard. William lost 60 pounds (just over four stone) and was still fed through a feeding tube because he was too weak to swallow. He still couldn’t sit up on his own or get out of bed, but he quickly made some small progress.
“I remember the first time I was able to wiggle my big toe,” he said. “It was the least exciting thing you’ve ever seen.”
After two months, he returned home. He used a power wheelchair and still needed at-home physical, occupational, and speech therapy to relearn daily tasks. “I was trying to get my life skills back,” William says. “Being able to dress myself, eat alone… tie (my) shoes, pick up things.”
Finally, nine months after his shocking diagnosis and after almost a year of immobility, he was able to walk again. As his mobility returned, he wanted to practice his surgical skills, and virtual reality helped him do so.
In July 2023, he returned to work at the same hospital that saved his life, then began an ECMO fellowship where, for almost a year now, he has been “putting patients through the same treatment that saved me in the same hospital. he said.
“It was great to be able to work with the same people who saved me: therapists and surgeons.” Adding: “I have more empathy and a better understanding of the patient experience,” he said. “I hope I can provide the same compassion and support to others in similar situations.”