Kitchener man celebrates COVID-19 recovery milestone with special Swiss Chalet dinner
More than eight months after testing positive for COVID-19, a Kitchener man is celebrating a major milestone on his road to recovery.
Larry Dietrich was diagnosed with the disease on December 2, 2020. He spent the next three months in hospital, which included being on a ventilator and spending time in the intensive care unit.
That experience was challenging, not just for Larry, but his family too.
“The biggest thing for me is that once you have that dance with dance, you realize how important relationships are,” says his daughter Alyssia Dietrich.
After eight months with a feeding tube, Larry has now reached an important step in his COVID-19 recovery.
“My dad, as of two or three weeks ago, has been given the authorization to eat by mouth,” says Alyssia.
Larry can finally do something he’s been dreaming about since coming home in March – eating a meal with his whole family.
“I can’t tell you how difficult it is to sit around a dinner table and watch your dad eat out of a feeding tube while the rest of [us] just eat normal food. I’m getting choked up just saying that.”
Over the long weekend, the family took a trip to Port Elgin.
It was there that one of Larry’s wishes came true – he finally ate food from his favourite restaurant, Swiss Chalet.
The owner of the Port Elgin franchise heard Larry’s story, and decided to reach out to Alyssia. He decided to make an extra special meal and even delivered it himself at no extra cost to the family.
“They seem like a really nice family, and then what really got me was when Larry mentioned two things that I’m quite familiar with,” says Marcel Legault. “I love Port Elgin, I’ve been here for about 25 years, and Swiss Chalet.”
So what did Larry order?
“I, and the rest of the family just had quarter-chicken dinners, gravy, sauce and a regular bun,” says Larry.
The family says the support they’ve received from the community has helped them throughout their ordeal.
Larry’s recovery continues, and in the coming months he’ll have to undergo surgery to repair his vocal chords and to completely remove the feeding tube.
Thanks to his ongoing rehabilitation efforts, Larry no longer needs surgery on his esophagus.
“It’s been a long road and I’m very happy that he’s home beside us and with the whole family being able to enjoy everything again,” says Larry’s wife Janice Dietrich. “This weekend was just awesome.”
As he gets stronger, Larry says he looks forward to spending more time with his family and eventually going back to work.
CTV News Kitchener has been following along with Larry Dietrich’s recovery. See ‘Related Stories’ above to read more about his COVID-19 journey.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Highlights from the 2024 Met Gala exhibit: Sleeping Beauty would wake up for these gowns
Sure, she was a royal princess and all. But there’s no way Sleeping Beauty — either before or after her nap — ever had quite the fabulous wardrobe that’s been assembled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.