Now, the potentially deadly virus has taken something else from the Canadian actor and father: his right leg.
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Cordero, who has been in the hospital since March 31, was being treated with blood thinners to help relieve clotting in his leg, but doctors had to stop the medication because it was causing internal bleeding, the Associated Press reported. On Saturday, the decision was made to amputate, Kloots said, according to the AP.
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“For Nick, he is doing the best that he possibly can right now, which is a huge hallelujah. Surgery went well, he’s recovering well,” Kloots said Sunday in videos shared to her Instagram story. “Everything seems to be kind of calmed down, which is so great because this has been such a roller coaster.”
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Losing his leg is just the latest serious complication Cordero has faced after being hospitalized with what was initially thought to be pneumonia, but later turned out to be covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus, according to his wife.
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On April 12, for example, Cordero “lost consciousness, he lost his pulse and they had to resuscitate him” after a lung infection set off a chain reaction that affected his blood pressure and heart, Kloots said in a now-deleted Instagram story, Variety reported.
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Still, Kloots has appeared to stay upbeat. Beyond posting regular updates on her husband’s condition, the fitness trainer and former Radio City Rockette has encouraged friends and fans to show their support by participating in a daily singalong using the hashtag “#wakeupnick.” Many high-profile celebrities have also joined the effort including, actress Florence Pugh and other Broadway stars.
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Cordero, who has starred in a number of stage productions and appeared on TV, is best known for his 2014 portrayal of Cheech, a mob soldier with a flair for drama, in Broadway’s “Bullets over Broadway.” The role earned him a Tony Award nomination for best featured actor in a musical.
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Then, on Saturday, just days after sharing that her husband was “getting stronger” and might be coming off his ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine, Kloots said she received some “difficult news,” USA Today reported.
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“We took him off blood thinners but that again was going to cause some clotting in the right leg, so the right leg will be amputated today,” she said.
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Blood clotting has emerged as a phenomenon in covid-19 patients suffering from particularly serious infections, with physicians unsure of what type of treatment is most effective, according to STAT News. While blood clots aren’t unusual in those who are immobile for long periods of time, like people on ventilators, “they seem to be smaller and cause far more severe damage” in patients diagnosed with covid-19, STAT News reported.
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As Science Magazine reports, the prevalence of clots may be yet another indication that the novel virus can wreak havoc on the human body far beyond the lungs, which are considered “ground zero.”
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The disease “can attack almost anything in the body with devastating consequences,” cardiologist Harlan Krumholz of Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital told the magazine. “Its ferocity is breathtaking and humbling.”
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Following Cordero’s amputation Saturday, Kloots, who has consistently remained optimistic in her updates, shared some uplifting news with her followers.
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“I got a phone call from the hospital saying that Nick made it out of surgery alive and he is headed to his room to rest and recover!” Kloots wrote in an Instagram post.
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On Sunday, Kloots struck the same level of optimism in another Instagram post, which featured a clip of the couple energetically performing a choreographed dance at their wedding, giant smiles plastered across their faces.
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“I love dancing with you … and we WILL dance again!” Kloots wrote.
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