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Georges Laraque was ready to run a marathon. Six days a week, he’d train by logging 10 kilometers a day.
Now, he is winded when he attempts to get out of bed.
The 43-year-old former NHL enforcer — who played with the Oilers, Coyotes, Penguins and Canadiens during an NHL career spanning from 1997-2010 — is currently in a Montreal hospital after becoming one of the millions infected with the novel coronavirus.
“Now I can’t even get up without losing my breath. It’s insane,” Laraque said in a Facebook video. “It’s the worst thing ever. It takes all my energy just to get up.
“I have pneumonia in both my lungs. They’re affected by the COVID because I have asthma. I have to have oxygen blowing through my nose.”
Laraque, who said he first started feeling symptoms one week ago, believes he may have contracted it while delivering groceries to older members of his neighborhood. He anticipates he will remain hospitalized for a lengthy period of time.
“It’s going to take a long time before my lungs recover,” Laraque said. “The nights are the worst. At night, I have fevers a couple times a night. I have to get up and take pills. I wake up in sweats all the time. I’m not the only one fighting this. I don’t feel sorry for myself. It’s okay, this is what happens in life.”
Laraque thanked the hospital staff — “You’re putting your health at risk just to help me. It’s unbelievable what you do” — then shared a message with the uninformed masses.
“People who think this is a government conspiracy, I can confirm to you that it isn’t,” he said. “It really hurts.”
