90-year-old 'Miracle Man' survives COVID-19 decades after beating stage four colon cancer

ByMatteo Iadonisi KTRK logo
Friday, September 25, 2020
"I'm going to see him today and I'm going to take him home. And that's all I care about." Joan Carnaroli was there to cheer on her husband once he defeated COVID-19.

MEDIA, Pa. -- Some are calling him the "Miracle Man" because 90-year-old Enzo Carnaroli has defeated COVID-19.

"I'm going to see him today, and I'm going to take him home," said his wife, Joan Carnaroli. "And that's all I care about."

The emotional homecoming started at Riddle Hospital in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. On August 31, Joan rushed her husband to the hospital once he woke up with a fever. But given their extreme precaution and self-quarantining, she thought it was only a urinary tract infection.

After a long three weeks of a COVID-19 diagnosis mixed with uncertainty and loneliness, the loving couple has finally reunited.

"I'm glad to go home," said Enzo, wearing boxing gloves and punching through the hospital doors as the theme from Rocky played in the background. "I pray to feel better and to live another couple years. That's all."

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Enzo has never backed down from a battle. At the turn of the century, he was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. After a life-changing procedure and a year's worth of chemotherapy, then-70-year-old Enzo was ready to sail the seas on a cruise and spend his summers down the shore.

Thanks to a courageous spirit and a team of talented nurses with Mainline Health, Enzo scored a figurative K.O. in his most recent frightening fight.

"He was on four liters of oxygen and to see him today is amazing," said Mariellen Patrick, a registered nurse who worked closely with Enzo.

She joined roughly two dozen other hospital staff in cheering and congratulating Enzo on his way home.

His wife, Joan, believes that the use of plasma played a huge role in the survival story. She encourages anyone between the ages of 18 and 55 who has survived COVID-19 to donate their blood.

Enzo is now looking forward to spending more time with his wife and Siamese cats while working on physical therapy.

The Italian immigrant would rather be catching a wave or working on the house, but for now, he is happy to be alive.