Florida’s Fourth Estate: A coronavirus survival story

The coronavirus can be deadly but there are many people who recover from it.

This week on Florida’s Fourth Estate Ginger Gadsen and Matt Austin speak with a man whose story of survival is nothing short of a miracle.

Kevin Rathel was in a coma when he was treated with convalescent plasma therapy. Rathel was the first patient at Orlando Health to be infused with convalescent plasma from a man who had already recovered from the virus.

Rathel describes his first hand account of the harrowing toll COVID-19 took on him from vivid nightmares to losing 30 pounds. He describes what life is like now during his recovery phase.

He also tells us even though he was in a coma, he was very clear about one thing that was happening in his hospital room on a regular basis.

Join us for a candid conversation with Kevin and his wife Stacie on this weeks edition of Florida’s Fourth Estate.


Florida’s Fourth Estate looks at everything from swampy politics to a fragile environment and even the crazy headlines that make Florida the craziest state in the Union.

Ginger Gadsden and Matt Austin use decades of experience as journalists to dissect the headlines that impact Florida. Each week they have a guest host who helps give an irreverent look at the issues impacting the Sunshine State. Big influencers like Attorney John Morgan, renowned Florida journalists and the scientists protecting Florida’s ecosystem can often be found as guests.

Look for new episodes every week, and visit ClickOrlando.com for the latest WKMG News 6 coverage of Orlando and beyond.


About the Author:

Ginger Gadsden joined the News 6 team in June 2014 as an anchor/reporter. She currently co-anchors the 4 p.m. 5:30 p.m. and the 7 p.m. newscasts.

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