FOX 2 - "I was 17 years old, I enlisted at Paris Island, South Carolina," said Norbert Miller.
A Marine veteran, 92-year-old Norbert Miller has fought his battles and his latest was COVID-19. And this fight, he won - after 51 days in the hospital.
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92-year-old Marine vet defeats COVID-19
A Marine veteran, 92-year-old Norbert Miller has fought his battles and his latest was COVID-19.
"It was tough, it was a long 7 and a half weeks, " said Wayne Miller, his son.
Norbert's son, Wayne Miller couldn't be by his side.
"They wouldn't let anyone up to see you," Norbert said.
FOX 2: "That had to be tough."
"It is, it is," he said.
Before COVID-19, Norbert was on his own. The he was admitted to Ascension Macomb-Oakland.
"I drove, I fixed supper, I did everything you do around the house," he said.
After the virus, he is 30 pounds lighter and struggling to walk. After the virus, it started with a fall April 1st.
"They shove that thing up my nose like that, and that was it," he said. "I didn't go back home."
Norbert had actually never been in a modern hospital.
"I'm amazed at the new way hospitals operate, I hadn't been in one until now," he said. "Everything is computerized."
All along, he never had typical COVID-19 symptoms.
"They say he lost control from the waist down, and he's still battling that now," his son said.
His nurses became friends and finally he got a sendoff home, with a salute. When it was time to be discharged he was met with a celebration of nurses and staff cheering him.
"Surprised, I was overwhelmed," he said. "I didn't realize what was going on, where did all these people come from."
It is now seven and a half weeks behind him with at least that much recovery time ahead.
"It is tough seeing him battle this, but he's getting stronger," Wayne said.
Norbert will keep on with physical therapy at home - he hopes to get back to independent living and he even said he'd like to drive again.