A Long Island ICU nurse is going above and beyond after recovering from COVID-19 to help others beat the virus.

Chris Bley works at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. He says he started feeling symptoms on March 17 -- a headache, aches, chills and a fever.

"I noticed it when I was taking a shower. I had these really weird tactile sensations where the water was hitting me on the shoulders but I wasn't feeling it until it reached down to my leg," he says. "I went to my wife, she's also a nurse. She said, 'You don't look so good, why don't we get you checked out.'"

 

Bley got swabbed for the flu and the coronavirus - he came up negative for the flu, but positive for COVID-19. He quarantined for two weeks, and his wife took care of him in their basement, dropping off meals at the top of the steps.

He says he started to turn a corner after about six days and returned to work a few weeks later.

"We had a lot of sick patients up here. It was tough. It was tough on the staff but I work in a great unit, great team," says Bley. "Everyone pulled together everyone helped each other, and were fighting through this."

Bley and two other co-workers who tested positive say they're headed to New York Blood Center in Rockville Centre this week to donate blood.

"Hopefully we can help out as many people as we can," he says.