BINGOL, Turkey

A 91-year-old woman in eastern Turkey who beat coronavirus says she couldn't breathe and thought she would die from the chill.

Ayse Gencdogan from Bingol province shared her experience of the COVID-19 illness with Anadolu Agency.

"Initially I started to have a severe headache and backache and then shivering, which did not stop even when I was near the stove," she said. "My chest, throat, and stomach were aching, I couldn't breathe, and I thought I was going to die from the chill."

When her son and daughter-in-law tested positive for the virus, the elderly woman also developed symptoms and was admitted to a hospital on March 25.

Her COVID-19 test came out positive, and she felt more weakness, got a fever, loss of appetite, taste, and smell. Gencdogan said that the 10 days she went through the treatment at home were one of the most difficult days of her life.

She subsequently recovered but still suffers from shortness of breath, and does not have the same desire to eat as she used to. "I cannot stand even for five minutes," she said.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan in Istanbul