EXCLUSIVE: SJ man says he got 'another chance at life' after 9 months in hospital with COVID

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A San Jose family saw first-hand just how devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic can be.

31-year-old Noah Davis nearly lost his life and fought for nine months at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

But, he survived and we were there all day as Davis finally got to go home.

"It's just another chance at life, you know? Coming home, like I said, is just one of the steps along my journey," Davis said." "It's not over yet, but I can't wait to continue and see what comes up in the future."

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The 42-year-old was waiting for her chance to get the shot when she got COVID back in March. After an agonizing road to recovery, she's finally vaccinated.

Accompanied by one of the many doctors that treated him throughout his battle with COVID-19, Davis exited the hospital for the first time in nine months.

"It's one of those things where we really need to give credit to the entire system from the moment he came into our acute-care hospital," Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Associate Chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Dr. Edward Chaw said. "His journey to recovery has been one of those that hopefully we can mark in our history books."

But to understand just how momentous of a day this was we have to take you back to January.

"You know, me and my family had been very careful," Davis said. "Unfortunately, my mom had picked it up from one of her trips down South. She came back, I gave her a hug and boom there it was."

While his parents would only see mild symptoms, Davis' battle with COVID was not as easy.

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"It's a real disease," Davis said. "I thought it was a joke at first too, but it showed me how real it is."

With oxygen levels down to 65, he was intubated, required multiple chest tubes and spent eight weeks in a coma.

With COVID restrictions not allowing hospital visitors, his parents Sally and Merv Marty, weren't sure if they would ever see their son again.

"There were a lot of days of, really just being honest, I didn't think he was going to make it," Merv Marty said.

"I felt like I had survivors guilt," Sally Marty said. "It was devastating. People always say you don't think it would happen to you."

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But sadly, it did happen to them.

Sally Marty would have the nurses put the phone up to Davis' ear while he was in a coma to speak to and pray for her son.

When they could begin to visit, she kept every single visitor pass.

Davis' family said one good day eventually turned to two, then three and so on until doctors said he could go home.

After a nine month fight for his life, Davis went back home to his parents, siblings and his dog Dozer who slept by Noah's door every night he was in the hospital.

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As Davis went inside again, he and his parents can't help but think about the journey it took to get here.

"It feels good to have him home, I just really haven't thought about it because I didn't think we were really going to get here," Sally Marty said.

"To see him walk through those doors and come home is an absolute blessed gift," Merv Marty said.

"You know, I want to thank the staff," Davis said. "They're my family there. It was another home. Even though it was hell what I had to go through, they stuck with me through good times and bad. There's literally not enough words that can't be said to them. There's so much that I want to do now with this extra chance."

Welcome home, Noah. Welcome home.

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