A 100-year-old Massachusetts man who fought in World War II, at one point landing in Normandy, France, has recovered after a battle with the coronavirus, news outlets reported.
Arthur “Mac” McIntosh, who lives in the Squantum neighborhood of Quincy, as well as two of his children contracted COVID-19 in late March, The Patriot Ledger reported.
McIntosh’s age and preexisting lung condition due to his decades of work as a plumber made him especially vulnerable to the viral respiratory infection, which has infected 77,793 people in Massachusetts and killed 4,979 patients, according to the Ledger’s report.
The virus poses a high risk to elderly individuals and those with preexisting medical issues. The average age of death due the disease in the commonwealth is 82, state Department of Public Health data shows.
“Initially, we thought this would be his demise,” Marifrances McIntosh, Arthur McIntosh’s 72-year-old daughter, told the Ledger. “But he has a strong constitution. He got through it, God bless him.”
Arthur McIntosh is the oldest living member of the Plumbers & Gasfitters Local 12 union in Boston, the Ledger reported. The U.S. Army veteran, who served as a truck driver in World War II, landed in Normandy after the Allies invaded in 1944, according to the newspaper’s article.
Chip McIntosh, Arthur McIntosh’s 52-year-old son who works at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, was the first in his family to be diagnosed with the coronavirus and suffered the worst symptom, the Ledger reported.
After both Arthur and Marifrances McIntosh later contracted the disease, the World War II veteran decided to battle COVID-19 at home with his family, according to the Ledger’s report.
The 100-year-old man, who suffered chills over the course of his infection, recovered after roughly 10 days, the newspaper reported.
Chip and Marifrances McIntosh told the newspaper their family and neighbors were a big help.
“The neighborhood was terrific. People brought gloves, food, paper towels,” Marifrances McIntosh told the Ledger.
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