TORONTO -- A Canadian Broadway star who lost one of his legs and had been in a coma for weeks due to a COVID-19 infection has finally awakened in hospital.
Nick Cordero of Hamilton, Ont. has been in the intensive care unit at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles since March 31, where he had been on a ventilator and unconscious.
On Wednesday, Corderoâs family received word that he is emerging from the coma.
âWe were pretty excited, I have to say,â Corderoâs mother, Lesley Cordero, told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ Channel. âWe had an inkling of it for a couple of days, but it wasnât until the doctor officially said: âYes, he is conscious nowâ that we could actually trust it and believe it.â
Lesley said doctors told the family that Cordero is in âstableâ condition and is still being monitored.
âItâs all about moving forward and recovery and thatâs the first time weâve heard about that, so thatâs very positive,â she said.
Cordero was nominated for a Tony Award in 2014 for his performance in âBullets Over Broadway.â His wife, Amanda Kloots, said that "he is awake," but is still very weak.
"Even closing his eyes, takes it out of him," she said. "They're waiting for him to regain strength, of course, time and recovery will help with that and then eventually (physical therapy) will help him get stronger."
Shortly after Corderoâs condition began to turn for the worse, Kloots began a social media campaign called â#WakeUpNick,â where family, friends and fans are encouraged to share positive messages and performances of Corderoâs songs.
âWe were stunned by the whole thing, but itâs amazing, itâs so incredible,â Lesley said.
Lesley also added that the hashtag has now shifted to â#HeIsWoke.â
Kloots said previously that due to the COVID-19 infection, her husbandâs lungs have become âseverely damagedâ to the point where they look âalmost like he's been a smoker for 50 years.â
Lesley said she and the family were initially shocked as her sonâs condition worsened, but theyâve since had time to digest what has happened.
âFor us it feels almost normal,â she said. âNick will get a prosthetic and Nick will live a full life. Nick does not know this yet, so weâre kind of dreading that.â
Due to the border restrictions between Canada and the United States, Lesley has not been able to visit her son in California and said itâs âanyoneâs guessâ as to when exactly she will be able to.