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Sava Velchev, the eldest son of the famous Varna lawyer Plamen Velchev, for whom plasma will soon be collected, has returned to his family. However, the tragedy in the family is great because COVID-19 took the lives of his mother and his younger brother in November in 6 days. He told Dir.bg about his battle with the disease.
– Mr. Velchev, you have already returned to your family after fighting the coronavirus very seriously. How you feel?
– Hello! Yes, I’m already with my family. I feel better with each passing day.
– Tell us the whole course of the disease in you. Do you know how you got infected?
“I can’t say where I got it from.” In our workplace we have followed all the prescriptions of the health authorities (masks, distance, disinfection, etc.). In stores we follow all measurements in the same way. The other members of my family (my wife and children) are not sick.
My mother, my father and my brother also complied with all the anti-epidemiological measures. My mother was very afraid of the disease and took care of herself, she rarely left the house. My father is a lawyer and his profession is related to meeting people, but he also took care of himself. My brother lived apart, but from what we’ve talked about, he was careful.
– What were the first symptoms and do you have concomitant diseases?
– For me, the disease developed in the following way: high temperature, up to 39.7 degrees. I did a PCR test and the result was positive for CoVID-19. A day later, shortness of breath appeared. I took an x-ray and it turned out that he had bilateral pneumonia. Then I sought help from a medical institution. I have no comorbidities.
– When did you feel the need to go to the hospital? What happened there?
– After feeling that I was short of breath, I realized that things were going wrong, so I went to a medical institution. After I was admitted to the hospital, they did tests and started treating me; I was on oxygen for my entire stay. I was feeling better with each passing day, but after the next tests they did, the doctors decided that I would need a plasma infusion.
– Fight against the virus day after day. What thoughts go through a person’s head at those times?
– I found out about my brother’s death 2-3 days after my hospital stay. In 6 days I lost half of my family. At that moment, I felt crushed. But after a few hours of pain and thought, I thought he might as well bring me down. I cried and told myself that for the children, my wife and my father, I would not give up.
– Your father wrote a post in the form of a call for help on social networks, which caused many positive reactions. In the end, did the donated plasma help you the most?
– For me, many people joined the plasma search campaign. My wife and father were the first to appeal to society. Many of my brother’s friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and strangers joined on social media. The campaign also included televisions, online newspapers and information sites. The news spread like wildfire. I didn’t expect it to happen so fast. Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen. I think that in less than a day there were already donors – to my knowledge from all of Bulgaria – Sofia, Plovdiv, Burgas, Veliko Tarnovo and other cities. I can’t say if the plasma helped more, only doctors can say that, but I think it helped a lot for my treatment, at least that was my attitude for myself, for my family and for all the people who responded to help.
– How did you protect your family, your wife and children, purely healthy and mentally?
– Purely healthy – from the beginning, when my temperature rose, I isolated myself in one of the rooms. Only my wife took care of me. Then I went and did a PCR test and when I got home I continued with the isolation. The next day I realized that I was positive for CoVID-19. This surprised us all; after all, every day we hear and read how many are infected, how many are in severe cases, how many are dead, and how many have healed. At first I thought I was already part of this stat, but after a second I told myself that I would be one of the healed. After entering the hospital, I was in constant contact with my family, relatives and friends, who encouraged me every day.
– How did they experience everything that happens to you?
– With each conversation I felt their anxiety and assured them that I was in good hands and once I was under observation I was half cured. It was difficult for them. My children are young and they don’t realize what happened: one of my children is a student and the other is in kindergarten. Now with this online training, you need to pay a little more attention to the children. My wife took care of me as much as the children. It was certainly quite difficult for her, but she is a strong woman and she did it very well.
– Condolences for the death of your mother and brother? How did things start with them?
– I cannot say how the disease developed in my mother and my brother, because we do not live together. I spoke to my mother every day. She assured me that she was fine and that she would be fine, but I could feel her fear, she was diabetic and she was afraid because she was at risk. And despite all the measures she took: masks, gloves, disinfectants, distance, the insidious virus managed to catch her.
For my brother I cannot say how the disease developed either, since he lived apart from our parents. He was a young, energetic and extremely dedicated IT specialist. He also followed all the recommendations of the health authorities. I can’t say where he got it from.
– You requested a plasma donation. What do you want to tell people now …
– My appeal is to all those who have fallen ill: help people in need. Once you have a chance to overcome this insidious disease, help others to overcome it. I will go donate plasma as soon as possible, let 40 days pass after my infection and I will be healthy.
Let us show that we are HUMAN and help those in need in these difficult times.
Just to add, my brother Herman has donated blood 16 times. In our last conversation, we talked about getting through this faster and donating plasma so more people could heal.
Finally, I want to thank once again my wife Ralitsa, my father Plamen, as well as all the friends, acquaintances and strangers who helped and prayed for my health, to return to my family.
I also want to thank the doctors, nurses and ordinances of UMHAT “St. Marina” – Varna, who took care of me while I was ill. These are professional people who, at the risk of their own lives and that of their families, help so many people to recover from the insidious virus, and not just from it, on a daily basis.
Thank you all.
Greetings to you and your work.
