nightline is next. goodnight. tonight, two young warriors in the fight of their lives against covid-19, on ventilators for weeks. >> i never thought it would be possible that your whole skin just hurts. anywhere on your body. >> a young husband, fit and healthy, waking up to hope and hurdles. now facing lasting impacts of the virus. >> it's like having constant pins and needles in my arms and tingling in my thighs. >> and a father, his will to live, inspired by his family. the long road to recovery for the fighters. there was real fear that you would have permanent scarring in your lungs. >> a special edition of "nightline" tar "nightline" starts right now. >> first thing i want to say to

raoul is hi. it's been a long time. >>'s been seven weeks since aaron decepi has seen his husband, raoul perra. >> i've been carrying around his wedding ring, i'm going to give that back. >> despite being healthy and young at 39, raoul was whisked into the icu for what became a hard-fought battle with covid-19. with pneumonia in both lungs, he would spend 30 days on a ventilator. >> the closer i get to this actually happening, the more real it becomes. i think that this whole experience has been so surreal, it'sinee it. >> as cases continue to rise throhout theco t 200 deaths by the fall. tonight we meet two fighters, neither elderly near infirmed, pushed to the brink by covid-19.

their families forced to watch from afar. >> it's the longest five minutes i've ever had in my life. >> reporter: their journeys, reminders of how much we have to learn about this silent threat. and for some, leaving the hospital is just the beginning of a long road back. what's keeping you up at night? >> the fear that my husband is not going to come home to me. and then of course just the fear that this is going to get so much worse. >> we first spoke with aaron back in march, days after raoul was interbaited. when was the last time you got to see him face-to-face. >> so we were in the emergency room, and he was in so much pain. they said, hey, we're going to admit raoul to the hospital, and there are no visitors allowed in the hospital right now. and i said i was so sorry and that he was going to get bert and stay strong for us.

>> oh, i'm so sorry, honey. >> so i took him in to the hospital on sunday. on tuesday he went onto the ventilator. and they were very specific with me that they still thought that the virus was going to be increasing and that he was going to get sicker and secceicker. >> the pandemic an idyllic twist in their otherwise great love story. how did you meet? >> the good old-fashioned way, we met on line about ten years ago. we took a little hike and had ice cream. >> they moved to denver where they now live. for their anniversary, they were looking forward to another hike. >> tuesday, was our second wedding anniversary and the day he was moved out of theivity ic put on a ventilator. >> across the country in

virginia, a father's day celebration in june that almost wasn't. for tetu, moments like these all more precious. >> something i used to take for granted, now i appreciate every sort of moment with them now. >> our faith was a big part of this. in my peace and survival in getting through it all was kind of knowing that he wasn't, it wasn't his time and he was going to make it. >> how did your faith sustain you during those dark days especially? >> a lot of prayer. a lot of hope. i learned to turn faith was one of the sermons early on, actually the day he was diagnosed. that was the sermon in our church, turning fear into faith. and i struggle with that. >> in march, his wife amanda was preparing for the worst as he fought for his life at a

hospital in fairfax, virginia. a lung specialist was one of his doctors. >> we started him on heparin while he was still on mechanical ventilation, continuous dialysis. you're doing various things, and it's difficult to know what worked. >> you threw everything you had at him. >> yes, we did. >> tetu was the first be treated at the hospital with the drug recomme remdesivir. the doctor turned to a more invasive procedure, a special machine called an ecmo. >> it goes through a pump, a centrifugal pump and through a membrane lung and you return it to another large vein, like dialysis for the lungs. >> and so this machine basically filters and oxygenates your blood for you. >> yeah, it removes carbon dioxide and infuses o ihe lti'v

tmoxtho >> my baby, hi! hi! >> weeks later, amanda was there ready to bring him >> i love you so much. >> what was the first thing you said to your daughters? >> that i loved that daddy was fighting.

>> thank you, doctors and nurses for saving our dad! >> my first day here was in the er on march 22nd. >> okay. >> and i was having high fever for like three days, so high husk husband decided to take me to the er. >> do you remember about waking up? what was that like? >> it was hard, because you didn't know if it was real or it wasn't. >> after almost two months in the hospital, the gravity of raoul's ordeal simmers just below the surface. >> i knew where i was, i guess, they first ask you, you know who you are? do you know where you are? and do you know why you are here for? and then they ask you, do you know what day it is, and i didn't have any idea. >> he'd spent 30 days on a ventilator here at uc health in colorado. >> i freaked out because a lot

of time had passed. i freaked out because i had my interview for a citizen-scheduled for april 14, and i was oh, my god, i can't believe i missed it. >> in those first days, brooe breathing on his own he still couldn't speak and could barely move, and due to covid-19 restrictions, he could only see his husband aaron through face time. >> it was amazing because i was getting to see him, hough, it was terrifying and horrible because i was seeing my husband who had lost 50 pounds, so you're trying to be as strong as possible for him and not convey that hey, i'm worried. >> my hard tyime started when i woke up. he was so happy, telling me you're going to be fine. i could not move. everything hurt. >> describe that pain for me. >> i never thought it could be possible that your whole skin justts bur hody.

>> despite searing nerve and muscle pain, raoul quickly became focussed on his recovery. bill neenous whouse was one of doctors. >> he started to put together all the things that had happened to him. and from the get-go, he had this fire to get home. you can just tell when you talk to him that nothing's going to stand in his way. >> i know that the doctors said it was you who was the fighter. it was you who was determined to get home for aaron's birthday. what drove you so hard? >> well, i just was ready. i made my goal that i want to be home by his birthday, which was may 10th. one of the therapists came and told me and said, you know what? we are going to release you on may 8. so congratulations, you're going to meet your goal.

>> when we come back, after nearovwo tly mth >> wes are both super excited that he comes home tomorrow. >> raoul the fighter sets another goal. will he be able to walk out of the hospital? where are you?! honey, did you hear about these new geico savings? mom? you'll get an extra 15% on top of what geico could already save you. can i call you back? you know your father's learning to make sourdough. even though he knows i prefer rye! there's never been a better time to save with geico. switch by october seventh for an extra 15% on car and motorcycle insurance. hey, next time let's do a face call! brushing only reaches on car and motorcycle insurance. 25% of your mouth. listerine® cleans virtually 100%. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. never settle for 25%. always go for 100. bring out the bold™ i have the power to lower my blood sugar and a1c.

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it's a reunion aaron has been dreaming about for two months. >> this whole experience has been so surreal, it's kind of hard to believe until you see it. so i'm getting excited. >> after a against covid-19, his husband is about to be discharged. >> i met wonderful people while i was in the hospital. all the doctors, nurses, therapists. [cheers and applause] they were like family those seven weeks. they totally, they wanted me to go in a wheelchair, and i was like, no, i need to walk out.

this will be my accomplishment. [cheers and applause] i walked in, but i can walk out. >> spirit just that. >> hi! >> right into the arms of his husband. i love you so much. >> what did it feel like to put your arms around aaron? >> it's amazing. i felt so lucky to have him as my husband and so in love. i felt wonderful. >> how are you? >> it was like you lost your other half for however long and you didn't know if he was going to be back, and you didn't want to let him out of your arms. there's still nights i wake up and roll over in bed and make sure he's okay. you realize how fragile this is

and you take it for granted. >> thank you so much. you honestly helped me so much. like you gave me strength to push forward. avenue o every one of you, i really appreciate you. it has been amazing. and honestly, i don't know how i'm going to repay you. >> stay down, stay down. >> oh, all the kisses. yes. yes. >> bye, guys. >> thank you so much. >> i didn't expect that my first two weeks were not going to be peaceful and relaxing after hospital. it was challenging. >> it was currentoourageous walt the door of the hospital, but that was just the beginning of the rehab. >> oh, my god. >> welcome home. >> after weeks in intensive care and rehab, tetu finally came hope to continue his recovery.

>> i've been here about two and a half weeks now, a lot of ups and downs. >> still struggling with challenges. not just physical but emotional. >> we have to do this about three times a day. >> heart rate, 91 a minute. your blood pressure shows mild hypertension. >> that's actually better than it's been, believe it or not. we'll take it. >> a lot of blurry memories, i have nightmares or flashbacks to near death experiences, now i'm talking to a therapist in regards to that. i want to be here for my kids and my wife, and that's why i fought so hard to be here. i need them as muff ch as they d me. one day at a time, getting a little stronger each day. >> but just a few weeks ago he went back to visit his care team in person. >> it was overwhelming seeing all those faces that are there every day, still, still in the trenches very much so.

>> there was real fear that you would have permanent scarring in your lungs. >> yes. >> and there's no evidence of that in his recent x-ray. >> you can see his lung scans when he was sick five months ago to today. what was that like to see the scan? >> it was scary. even the doctors are like, wow, how did you come from basically being a whiteout to having clear, normal, healthy lungs now? >> we're so, so fortunate, but i know his case is very much the exception to thebo iult re. mak you emotional, amanda. what's going through your mind? >> it was the hardest three weeks of our lives, and it's just, it was just a lot, you know, he doesn't remember it. so his struggle with it has been different than mine. >> you were carrying the world on your shoulders. >> yeah, it lusure seemed like . >> tetu still suffers some complications from his illness,

although far less serious than anyone could have igi s itill h pain or circulation pain in my left hand, which is like having constant pins and needles in my arms and tingling in my thighs. >> how much is that post traumatic stres still with you guys? >> there was a lot at first, trying to figure out what was real and what was not real. over time, i'm lot more comfortable with what happened in a sense. >> amanda, you were saying in many ways you are still processing, because he didn't have to go through those three weeks. >> i'm a mess. i mean not day to day, but i definitely have my moments, and i'm going to talk to somebody about that. >> it's hard on the caregiver. >> it's a trauma on both of us in different ways, his physical, mine emotional. >> he spends time getting his strength back and spending precious time with his daughters, but the memory of the brush with death is always in the forefront of his mind. >> during the three weeks i was

sort of out in a coma, i had dreams, and whatever it was, a feeling that i was being buried, like i was dead, and i kept throwing that dead off me saying, i'm not ready to go. >> for raoul, too, his saga continues. >> so i still have nerve damage in both hands. i feel like electric shocks down from my elbow to my finger. so my right hand, i can, i don't have much movement. the nerve needs to grow and heal. it's going to take at least 12 months. >> yet another goal, one you can be sure raoul will fight to win. with the romantic reward as inspiration. >> what's the celebration once covid-19's over? where do you go? what do you do? >> one of the things that aaron did for getting me ready for when i woke up, is he had a, he had sent some pictures of us,

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announcer: from hollywood, it's jimmy kimmel live with host dua lipa. tonight gwen stefani. and now, dua lipa. >> dua lipa: hello, and welcome to a very weird episode of "mtv cribs." i am your guest host of the night, dua lipa. you know that song your kid

listened to 5,000 times while trying to perfect a dance on tiktok? that was me. you're welcome and i'm sorry. jimmy and i actually just switched jobs for the night. right now, i'm here, and he's performing for thousands of people at a dance hall in berlin. in a very tight tank top. the last time i saw jimmy it was after i broke into his house in the middle of the night. i teamed up with his wife molly -- got a bunch of lights and a smoke machine and did this. ♪ >> dua lipa: ah, there's nothing sexier than a grown man wearing a mouth guard. and i thought i'd had the last laugh, until tonight. when jimmy tricked me into hosting his show from a creepy empty house. good one jim. all kidding aside, i'm excited to do this. it's a totally new experience for me.