He's Been in the ICU for 79 Days. Finally, a Visit With His Wife

Nick Cordero is no longer testing positive for COVID-19, but the Broadway star is still in bad shape at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. On Friday, however, there was a bright spot, when his wife, Amanda Kloots, was finally able to visit him in person in the ICU after 79 days, per USA Today. Safety restrictions due to the virus have kept the couple apart, making their first contact in nearly three months extra-emotional. A picture on Kloots' Instagram tells it all, showing their two hands clasped, with the lyrics to Andy Grammer's "Don't Give Up on Me" in the caption section. Earlier in the week, Kloots had mentioned that although Cordero, 41, is conscious and awake, he still can't speak or move—but that doesn't mean he can't communicate.

"He's awake and he's in there," she said, adding he's lost 65 pounds and has serious muscle atrophy. "He can answer questions with yes or no with his eyes." Some of the complications from the coronavirus that Cordero has faced include a lung infection, a leg amputation, and having a pacemaker temporarily inserted. Kloots says "it could be months," even under the best of circumstances, before her husband is released from the hospital, and even then, he'd likely have about a year at a rehab facility before coming home. Still, even though Kloots says she's "exhausted" from all of this, and from working and taking care of their 1-year-old son, Elvis, on her own, she says her faith and good wishes from fans have helped, adding: "I'm doing OK." Deadline notes that fans have been keeping up with Cordero's progress via Kloots' Instagram, where she offers regular updates. (More coronavirus stories.)