pruden himself. >> dr. pruden: i got admitted to my own hospital.the luckiest men on earth to be in a hospital where people are geared to do this-- to resuscitate people and keep people alive. >> pelley: the rate of death in the united states seven months ago was double what it is today, in part because, in the early days, so little was understood. >> dr. pruden: so it was a question of doing what you could, keeping this body alive while you tried to find out what protocol was working. and they did an excellent job. i was intubated twice, and i spent 31 days in the intensive care unit. lost about 80 pounds, could not roll over in bed on my own, could not sit up in bed on my own, and had the constant sense that "i am not getting enough air." >> pelley: and there was a sense of being hungry for oxygen. >> dr. pruden: oh, my goodness. yes. >> pelley: like drowning? >> dr. pruden: this was a question of, my body, no matter what i do, is not pulling in enough air, and the oxygen that they're providing me is not giving me enough air, and i need air, i nee