Before We Knew Covid: Waking Up From a Coma

Courtesy of Jefferson Health Magee Rehabilitation Hospital.

When Dan Dizio woke up from a coma and opened his eyes on May 1, 2020, his health was fragile and his body was frail...Dizio had no memory of the last five weeks.

It was one day before his 48th birthday. Rather than celebrating with friends and family, Dizio was in a hospital bed with with a paralyzed right arm. A feeding tube carried nutrients into his body through his esophagus into his stomach. A tube was inserted in his trachea, helped him breathe. The sound of a mechanical hum whirred from the ventilator.

It was the early stages of the pandemic and very little was known about the novel coronavirus.

At first, Dizio, CEO of the Philly Pretzel Factory, thought he’d picked up a mild cold, but within a few days, breathing felt more like choking. Dizio had no known underlying medical conditions. He was relatively young and active—he lifted weights, ran a seven-minute mile, and ate healthy. Still, it was no match for COVID-19.

Dizio spent six weeks recovering at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Five of those six weeks were in a medically-induced coma. Then he transferred to Jefferson Health’s Magee Rehabilitation Hospital for intensive inpatient rehabilitation to get strong enough to go home.

Due to the position of his neck while in his coma, his arm was paralyzed from nerve damage. He was plaugued by breathelessness.  He had lost 50 pounds during his hospitalization, and walking more than a few feet exhausted him. COVID-19 also caused brain damage—which required him to relearn how to walk and swallow.

Beyond the physical toll of the COVID, the pandemic had hit his business hard. Fifty of his stores temporarily closed. Sales fell by 70%. The road to recovery proved challenging in both his personal and professional lives.

However, that journey would not be traveled alone; the medical professionals at Magee were with him during every step of the healing process.     

Over the next month, Dizio worked with his Magee care team for hours every day to strengthen his mind and body. His health improved dramatically. Determined to heal, he insisted on extra rounds of physical therapy, and with the support of Magee staff, he did.

As his health improved, so too did the business. Philly Pretzel Factory began to offer delivery and an option for curbside pick-up. Most of the franchises recuperated and opened their doors once more.

In late May, Dizio was well enough for discharge and to continue his recovery at home. As he made his way out of the hospital, Magee staff lined the halls for a celebratory send-off. They were clapping, cheering, and offering words of encouragement Dizio’s therapists blasted the “Rocky” theme and they all danced together.     

As 2020 turned into 2021, Dizio’s health and business were on the upswing again. He was back to work and living in a state of gratitude. In Philly, nothing signifies love and appreciation like a soft pretzel. Dizio and his team delivered hundreds of soft pretzels and gift baskets to Magee staff as a way to say thank you to the team who helped him get back to living his best life.

Two years later, Dizio made a complete recovery. He enjoys many of the same activities he used to. Life, thankfully, looks normal again. Dan has expressed his tremendous gratitude to the Magee staff who helped him regain his health, saying “Thank you to the team at Magee for helping me regain my health and get my life back. You were the game changers for me.”