Assemblies of God director off ventilator, family talks about his recovery from COVID-19

In Missouri, there are more than 6,000 positive cases of the coronavirus. More than 270 people have died and more than 870 in the hospital. Thousands are getting better.

Among those in recovery, Assemblies of God Executive Director Greg Mundis. Mundis is back in Springfied, recovering from a 40-day fight against the coronavirus.

"His story is one of hope and of love and of perseverance and of getting through this," said Greg Mundis, Jr.

Mundis, Jr. said his father's progress is nothing short of a miracle.

"To the point where he's breathing on his own. We just literally found out like three minutes ago that he's off the vent entirely," Mundis, Jr. said.

The family's journey started 40 days ago in Springfield, when Mundis, Sr. was taken to the emergency room. He tested positive for COVID-19 just days later. When local medical teams weren't sure how to save him, Mundis Sr. was taken to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

"He was emergently intubated, putting a breathing tube in. He had to be put on dialysis because his kidneys failed almost immediately. He was placed on some experimental medicines that had some modest effect on him," Mundis, Jr. said.

Mundis, Jr., a surgeon in San Diego, said the virus can stimulate a person's immune system, wreaking havoc on their entire body. He said it also takes a toll on the family members who watch their loved ones fight for their lives.

"I am a different person than I was 40 days ago. I do have to thank my dad for it and my God that he's still around that we get to talk about it," Mundis, Jr. said.

He said his dad is now back in Springfield, at a rehab facility. Mundis, Sr. is still breathing through a tube, but is no longer relying on a machine to pump his lungs. Recovery will mean regaining strength throughout the rest of his body.

"Even as simple as pushing buttons on a phone to call your family members, he's having trouble with that," Mundis, Jr. said.

For now, the family has found a way to see Mundis, Sr. while he's in rehab through the window of his room.

"Imagine if you've been out of it for five weeks and you wake up and you went to sleep that was seemingly normal and you wake up and your family's talking to you via phone outside of a window," Mundis, Jr. said. "You gotta be thinking, am I still dreaming?"

Mundis, Jr. calls his dad's journey a success story in a time of so much sadness stress, and said it could be a sign of hope and healing for the rest of us.

"Hang in there, don't let go. Make sure your strength is anchored in something greater than yourself," he said.

Greg Mundis, Sr. is expected to be in rehab for at least two to four weeks before getting to go home, where he will hopefully continue to recover.

There were three more local Assemblies of God employees who battled the coronavirus. The Assemblies of God World Missions website writes those employees are almost fully recovered.

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