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The First COVID Patient in Burbank: Gregg Garfield’s Fight to Survive

March 10, 2026

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • Gregg Garfield, the first COVID patient at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Burbank, survived a near-fatal illness involving multiple life-threatening complications, including flatlining four times, despite doctors initially giving him only a 1% chance of survival. 
  • Gregg's recovery was heavily motivated by his 'village'—friends, family, and especially his partner AJ—who provided crucial support, with AJ acting as the primary liaison between the medical team and the outside world during his medically induced coma. 
  • The severity of the initial COVID-19 variant was highlighted by the extreme precautions taken by hospital staff (15 minutes to don full hazmat gear) and the fact that Gregg lost significant portions of his fingers and toes due to life-saving treatments like pressors, yet he maintained a positive mindset focused on achievable micro-goals, such as walking across the room. 

Segments

Early Hospitalization Experience
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Medical staff required extensive time to don full hazmat gear before entering the patient’s room.
  • Summary: Gregg Garfield describes the 15 minutes it took for staff to gear up in full hazmat suits just to enter his room on the morning of the 5th, noting he coded during this time.
Tribute to Adam Silver
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(00:01:02)
  • Key Takeaway: Adam Silver’s decision to halt the NBA season on March 11th is credited with saving thousands of lives early in the pandemic.
  • Summary: The host reflects on the anniversary of COVID, highlighting Adam Silver’s action of stopping the NBA season, which preceded global shutdowns, emphasizing the severity of the first variant.
Garfield’s Critical Condition
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(00:02:11)
  • Key Takeaway: Garfield was the first COVID patient in Burbank, given a 1% chance to live, resulting in over 60 days hospitalized and loss of fingers/toes.
  • Summary: Summary of Gregg Garfield’s initial prognosis: first patient at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Burbank, spent a month on a ventilator, lost extremities, but still returned to skiing that year.
Origin of Infection in Italy
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(00:03:43)
  • Key Takeaway: The infection originated during a ski trip to Valgardena, Italy, in late February 2020, before widespread awareness.
  • Summary: Gregg details the annual guys’ ski trip to Italy, arriving February 22nd, 2020. They initially dismissed coronavirus concerns until flu-like symptoms began appearing three days later.
Flight Home and Diagnosis
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(00:07:33)
  • Key Takeaway: The group learned a friend tested positive for COVID mid-flight back to LA, leading to Garfield being picked up by a hazmat team upon landing.
  • Summary: While three-quarters through the flight home, Peter texted that he tested positive. Garfield called his doctor upon landing, leading to a hazmat team transport for testing, confirming his positive result on March 2nd.
Hospital Admission and Coma
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(00:08:45)
  • Key Takeaway: St. Joseph’s in Burbank was the only hospital prepared to take Garfield, who was intubated and placed in a medically induced coma for 31 days.
  • Summary: After being refused by other hospitals, Garfield was admitted to St. Joseph’s on March 5th. On March 7th, he was intubated and entered a coma, suffering severe complications like sepsis and collapsed lungs.
Physical Recovery and Extremity Loss
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(00:12:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Extremity loss (fingers and toes) occurred because life-saving pressors prioritized vital organs over extremities.
  • Summary: Garfield discusses the loss of fingers and toes due to pressors used during organ failure. He challenged his surgeon to get him back on skis by the end of 2020, despite having to relearn basic functions.
Setting Goals for Rehabilitation
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(00:14:53)
  • Key Takeaway: Survival hinged on setting achievable micro-goals, such as walking 15 steps to the bathroom, rather than focusing on the macro goal of leaving the hospital.
  • Summary: Garfield explains his motivation during physical therapy: avoiding the bedpan was the immediate goal, which required walking 15 steps across the room, a monumental task at the time.
Support from the Village
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(00:16:37)
  • Key Takeaway: The massive outpouring of love and support from friends and family motivated him not to fail them.
  • Summary: Garfield discusses the love received from hundreds of friends nationwide, which fueled his desire to recover, alongside his focus on his fiancée, AJ.
AJ’s Support and Relationship Test
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(00:21:26)
  • Key Takeaway: The crisis served as the ultimate test for his relationship with AJ, who became his primary liaison and caregiver.
  • Summary: Garfield praises AJ, who moved in with his sister to quarterback updates to the village. Her support was crucial, especially when she was allowed daily hospital visits starting April 16th.
ICU Psychosis and Snapping Back
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(00:25:46)
  • Key Takeaway: Coming out of sedation, Garfield experienced severe ICU psychosis, which abruptly ended when AJ arrived and corrected his delusion about friends being murdered.
  • Summary: Garfield describes hallucinations while heavily medicated. He snapped out of his psychotic state when AJ arrived and refuted his belief that his friends had been killed.
Saving the Dog, Bear
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(00:29:54)
  • Key Takeaway: AJ risked infection by going into his home in full hazmat gear to rescue his dog, Bear, who provided mental support to AJ during Garfield’s hospitalization.
  • Summary: Garfield recounts the difficulty in finding care for his 90-pound dog. AJ was granted permission to retrieve Bear, involving an elaborate hazmat procedure, and cared for the dog for 64 days.
Current Mindset and Resilience
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(00:33:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Four years later, Garfield lives with extreme gratitude and joy, emphasizing that every day is a gift, showing remarkable mental resilience.
  • Summary: Garfield confirms he has no trauma from the experience, living with a glass-half-full perspective. The host compliments his upbeat, grateful joy of living.