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Fourth-year School of Medicine student Michelle Shabo has recovered from a serious bout with the novel coronavirus and is sharing her story to help others understand that people of all ages can contract the disease. The Worcester native, who is doing an emergency medicine rotation at the Worcester field hospital at the DCU Center, said she is dedicated to helping others fight the virus.

“There was a moment in the hospital where I was like, this could be it, I could die,” Shabo, 28, told the . “Social distance, wash your hands, don’t touch your face, wear a mask, because even young people can get sick,”

“I’ve taken care of many patients who have had difficulty breathing. I’ve always had sympathy for them. But now I truly feel like I have empathy,” Shabo told . “When it physically hurts to breathe and you’re looking at the monitors that tell you your body doesn’t have enough oxygen, it’s really, really scary.”

She said she donated plasma and has signed up for plasma registries and an antibody research study. See full coverage of her experience, below.