Colorado Springs woman credits COVID-19 for saving her life

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A Colorado Springs woman said COVID-19 saved her life, following testing that revealed an unrelated and potentially life-threatening condition.

"I just couldn't catch my breath. I was having a hard time," Anita King said.

King began experiencing difficulty breathing during a workout shortly after spending the New Year's holiday at home with family. She said she didn't think much of her symptoms at first.

"I had to keep stoping and resting. I told myself, I'm doing my easy workout on Saturday. You know, instead of the hard one."

She said she knew something was wrong when the feeling didn't go away, hours after her workout. Believing it could be COVID-19, King called her doctor to find the nearest testing location.

"You're 50 years old and you're complaining of shortness of breath and chest pains. When I got into the ER, they went into a totally different mode. They went into heart attack mode, honestly."

After a series of tests, King said results came back negative for the virus. Instead, doctors found blood clots on her lungs, diagnosing her with a pulmonary embolism.

"I mean, that’s a very scary thing...because these clots if they travel, it can lead to a stroke. It can lead to a brain aneurysm. So, something definitely worse could have happened."

Because doctors were able to find it early, King said she's doing well and credits COVID-19 for saving her life. Otherwise, she said she would have ignored her symptoms and stayed home, rather than getting tested.

"Just thankful. Because I one-hundred percent believe, if there wasn’t a COVID-19 thing going on, I would have let it go. I would have said, let’s see what happens."

King said she's been able to follow a treatment plan from home, including oxygen and blood thinners. Despite not having the virus, she said the situation is still a good reminder to get tested, or to check in with a medical professional if a person believes something might be wrong.

"I  would definitely say the good outweighs the possibility of what might happen, if you don’t find out about something that might be wrong with you."