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Shirley Horton sobbed as she hugged her husband, Ken, as he was leaving the Mediclinic Durbanville in Cape Town after his Covid-19 treatment.
A line of hospital staff applauded when Ken Horton, 68, was pushed into the entrance in a wheelchair.
Christine Taylor, general manager of the Mediclinic Durbanville Hospital, gave her a gift bag to take home.
A video captures the moment of relief for the Hortons as they became one of the first families in South Africa to have to deal with the virus that suddenly changed the world.
But after a 35-day marathon, he is now among the 4,357 in South Africa that have recovered from the virus so far.
“You’ve been very good to me, I really appreciate it,” Horton said as they dragged him down the hall.
On Monday, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced that 206 of the 10,652 people who tested positive for Covid-19 had died.
The first death associated with the coronavirus was at the Mediclinic Durbanville in March, bursting the bubble that South Africa could have escaped the worst of the virus due to its early closure measures.
When Horton rounded the corner of the hospital, the reception overwhelmed him.
“Whose idea was this?” I ask.
Read: SA beyond Covid-19: what it will be like
shaping the future, according to scientists, economists, and political minds
After crossing the hospital hallway, his wife, Shirley, took his hand and then leaned her head against him and sobbed.
Her daughter Lorraine van Rensburg said it was a “very emotional” moment for the family.
Van Rensburg told News24 that they have no idea how he contracted the virus, since he did not travel and was not in contact with anyone who had it.
But she is relieved that he is out of danger and extremely grateful to family, friends, and hospital staff for the support.
“Today I am very proud, extremely happy and blessed. After 35 days in the hospital battling this nasty Covid-19 virus, my father is finally home. These have not been 35 easy days for us as a family. We have prayed and cried both during this time, “he wrote on his social media timeline.
Mr. Horton would later write: “It was a total and very emotional surprise, but I am grateful to be home. Once again, thank you to all the staff and doctors for the wonderful care you have given me.”
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