Tear-jerking video shows the friendship formed between a Long COVID patient and his kindhearted nurse

This tear-jerking video shows the unbreakable friendship formed between a long Covid patient and his kindhearted nurse. Jimmie Vaught, 60, became best friends with his nurse Alyssa Stryd, 23, while he spent over six months fighting for his life in the hospital. He is now back to health, home with his wife, and counts Alyssa as a friend for life. Jimmie, a pro dog trainer, credits his sanity to Alyssa, who went above and beyond to keep him strong and positive during his battle with the virus. Together they celebrated birthdays, mourned deaths, and played games to get through the long, boring nights. Alyssa, a vocational nurse, is focused solely on helping Covid patients like Jimmie in her work at the Tulare County Health System in Hanford, California. Jimmie was first rushed to the hospital on September 18th, 2020 when he developed pneumonia from COVID. He was transferred to Alyssa's sub unit, Kaweah Delta Subacute, in December 2020, after spending nearly four months in a critical condition.Amid all the hardship and pain from prolonged intubation they became the closest of friends. "It all began when I decided he looked a little rough around the edges and so I thought it was time to do some proper self-care," Alyssa said. "One night I grabbed some warm towels, wrapped them around his feet, soaked and exfoliated them."Then we worked on cutting his nails and massaging his right hand because he suffered from a bit of right side paralysis and just making him feel more comfortable all around."I started to bring in cards for us to play, then games like Connect 4, scratchers, and anything else I could think of to help the time pass by."I really felt a special bond to him." Jimmie said: "She brushed my hair, played games with me, and really helped me from not going crazy staring at the white walls." Alyssa discovered that Jimmie would have to spend his 60th birthday in the hospital, so she made the day into a celebration. "Since I had his charts I knew his birthday, so I showed up right at midnight on the day with balloons, a card, scratchers, and the staff to sing for him. "I told him he became a grandpa to me."I even picked up the first meal he wanted when he was finally able to eat again." Alyssa had gathered so many videos and photos of their time together that she created a compilation video to remember it by. "When Covid began I was floating around different units that were focused solely on the pandemic and it became extremely difficult and disappointing," she added. "I tried to keep a reasonable distance with the Covid patients having watched so many of them pass away, but I couldn't resist with Jimmie."He had gone through a lot, he even lost his daughter and his father so he was definitely down in the dumps, it pulled at my heartstrings a lot. "There were times where things got tough and he would say things like, 'I don't think I'm going to make it' and I'd say, 'don't say that, you're out of here!'"To see him really fight through it all, especially at his age, was absolutely incredible."Jimmie is a dog trainer for competitions, including one that was set to take place in April 2021.He held onto that date as his goal to get out of the hospital. "I booked my hotel room over two months ago as a way to push me to get better," he said. Sure enough, Jimmie was released on March 19, and has been told he is healthy enough to attend the event. Alyssa said: "He texted me once he was headed home from the hospital and said, 'I am in the car, I escaped!' "We talk a lot still, we even face-timed each other for 45 minutes last night. "We are currently planning a visit on my next day off, so that I can see his home, meet his wife and just get to see his life outside the hospital." Jimmie laughed: "I've basically adopted her."

This tear-jerking video shows the unbreakable friendship formed between a long Covid patient and his kindhearted nurse.

Jimmie Vaught, 60, became best friends with his nurse Alyssa Stryd, 23, while he spent over six months fighting for his life in the hospital.

He is now back to health, home with his wife, and counts Alyssa as a friend for life.

Jimmie, a pro dog trainer, credits his sanity to Alyssa, who went above and beyond to keep him strong and positive during his battle with the virus.

Together they celebrated birthdays, mourned deaths, and played games to get through the long, boring nights.

Alyssa, a vocational nurse, is focused solely on helping Covid patients like Jimmie in her work at the Tulare County Health System in Hanford, California.

Jimmie was first rushed to the hospital on September 18th, 2020 when he developed pneumonia from COVID.

He was transferred to Alyssa's sub unit, Kaweah Delta Subacute, in December 2020, after spending nearly four months in a critical condition.Amid all the hardship and pain from prolonged intubation they became the closest of friends.

"It all began when I decided he looked a little rough around the edges and so I thought it was time to do some proper self-care," Alyssa said.

"One night I grabbed some warm towels, wrapped them around his feet, soaked and exfoliated them."Then we worked on cutting his nails and massaging his right hand because he suffered from a bit of right side paralysis and just making him feel more comfortable all around."I started to bring in cards for us to play, then games like Connect 4, scratchers, and anything else I could think of to help the time pass by."I really felt a special bond to him." Jimmie said: "She brushed my hair, played games with me, and really helped me from not going crazy staring at the white walls." Alyssa discovered that Jimmie would have to spend his 60th birthday in the hospital, so she made the day into a celebration.

"Since I had his charts I knew his birthday, so I showed up right at midnight on the day with balloons, a card, scratchers, and the staff to sing for him.

"I told him he became a grandpa to me."I even picked up the first meal he wanted when he was finally able to eat again." Alyssa had gathered so many videos and photos of their time together that she created a compilation video to remember it by.

"When Covid began I was floating around different units that were focused solely on the pandemic and it became extremely difficult and disappointing," she added.

"I tried to keep a reasonable distance with the Covid patients having watched so many of them pass away, but I couldn't resist with Jimmie."He had gone through a lot, he even lost his daughter and his father so he was definitely down in the dumps, it pulled at my heartstrings a lot.

"There were times where things got tough and he would say things like, 'I don't think I'm going to make it' and I'd say, 'don't say that, you're out of here!'"To see him really fight through it all, especially at his age, was absolutely incredible."Jimmie is a dog trainer for competitions, including one that was set to take place in April 2021.He held onto that date as his goal to get out of the hospital.

"I booked my hotel room over two months ago as a way to push me to get better," he said.

Sure enough, Jimmie was released on March 19, and has been told he is healthy enough to attend the event.

Alyssa said: "He texted me once he was headed home from the hospital and said, 'I am in the car, I escaped!'

"We talk a lot still, we even face-timed each other for 45 minutes last night.

"We are currently planning a visit on my next day off, so that I can see his home, meet his wife and just get to see his life outside the hospital." Jimmie laughed: "I've basically adopted her."