Actor Danny Burstein has opened up about his terrifying coronavirus battle that left him wondering he'd survive the illness.
The Broadway star - who starred in Moulin Rouge - has admitted he was "coughing up blood for two to three days" and revealed he was close to death after contracting the deadly bug.
The performer, who has since made a full recovery, said his symptoms worsened after Broadway was put on lockdown last month, which saw him suffer a "fever, migraines and body aches" - including pain in his hands.
Revealing details of the virus in his piece for The Hollywood Reporter, Danny penned: "I lost my sense of taste and smell and had been monitoring the severity of my symptoms by the hour."
He continued: "It felt like there was an 80-pound boy standing straight up on my chest. I was surrounded by death and I knew that the longer I stayed in the unit the greater my chances were that eventually it would be me the nurses were talking about.
"I couldn't seem to get enough air into my lungs," he said.
He continued: "I felt light-headed and got down on one knee fearing I was about to faint or fall. I asked myself, 'Is this it? Is it time to go to the emergency room?'"
"I stood up, willing myself to breathe deeply and muscle through. But when I stood up, I was once again light-headed and couldn't stop coughing up blood."
Danny went on to recall walking his local hospital with his wife and son, before being diagnosed with double pneumonia and coronavirus - which ultimately saw him spending 20 hours in an isolated room.
He was later moved to a ward, where he recalled his doctors' names, writing: "I took the fact that my two main doctors were named Gandhi and Krishna as divine intervention.
"They were ridiculously overworked, kind and incredibly smart. My respect for them knows no bounds."
He added: "One day I asked Dr. Krishna how she was as she was taking off her paper gown after a visit. She stopped everything, sighed and her eyes filled with tears and said, 'I'm all right. It's hard on all of us.'
"That simple honesty and resignation was beautiful and I won't soon forget her kindness during my tenure there. Strength through stillness."
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