LITTLETON, Colo. — Mark Nepi and his wife, Suzanne, know how truly lucky Mark is to still be alive after spending five weeks in the hospital with COVID-19. Nearly three of those weeks were on a ventilator.
"This is a miracle, me being here," said Mark Nepi.
"This is not a hoax. This is not fake news. This is not the flu. This is something to be taken very serious," Nepi told Denver7 back in November.
The couple both were diagnosed with the virus. While Mark was in the hospital, most of Suzanne's time was in isolation at home, forcing the two to spend their 30th anniversary apart.
During their time separated, Suzanne grew a deep appreciation for the the healthcare team caring for her husband.
"They help me so much. They took care of me, not just him but me," Suzanne said of the ICU workers at Littleton Adventist Hospital.
"There’s no doubt they saved my life probably two or three times," Mark said of his doctors and nurses.
When Mark was released, the couple knew saying "thank you" wasn't enough. Suzanne and Mark decided the fastest way to the hearts of those ICU workers is through their stomach.
Suzanne is calling it 12 days of Christmas. Through a GoFundMe account set up by one of Suzanne's friends, the couple is providing lunches to the front-line workers like Jamal Noshahi who cared for Mark through the tough times.
"Mark and Suzanne going out of the way to show their appreciation for us as ICU staff, it’s good encouragement for the work that we do here," said Noshahi, a registered nurse at Littleton Adventist.
Suzanne is hopeful others will follow in showing their appreciation to those who care so much and ask for so little.
"Just because it’s Christmas and it’s over, Covid is not going to end. These folks are going to need lifts," Suzanne said of a kind gesture.