DENVER (KDVR) — As we all closely monitor our president’s developments with his COVID-19 battle, a local survivor is providing some perspective by sharing his personal experience with antibody treatment. 

For five weeks, Miguel Rivera was on a ventilator. He then became one of the first at HealthOne’s North Suburban Medical Center to receive convalescent plasma.

“It got me out of the hospital and it got me to come back to basically life,” Rivera said, adding “I had to learn how to swallow again, I had to learn how to stand, I had to learn how to walk and now I’m up to a mile walking.” 

Months later, Rivera’s recovery continues back at home where he’s following the news about President Donald Trump’s diagnosis. 

“Once I heard he said he was getting that plasma, he’ll be okay,” Rivera said. 

Rivera received antibodies through a convalescent plasma donation. President Donald Trump is receiving antibodies as well, but through a newer experimental drug.

“These are made in the lab and they are identical to the proteins produced by our immune system to fight the invading virus,” HealthOne’s Dr. Rohini Sharma said. 

Dr. Sharma says since Rivera’s time at North Suburban, they have developed more treatment approaches like our president is receiving.

“Catching the virus at the right time and treating it with a multimodal approach is the right way to go right now,” Dr. Sharma said.

Rivera hopes the president’s treatment helps to prevent a COVID-19 experience like his.

“This is the president, whether anybody hates him or loves him, he’s our leader,” Rivera said. “We can’t have him being sick like that.”