coronavirus new york city

Coronavirus News: FDNY Paramedic tells 'LIVE' about coming 'face to face with the monster'

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Monday, April 20, 2020

'Live with Kelly and Ryan' working hero Elizabeth Bonilla

FDNY EMT Elizabeth Bonilla works out of Station 3 in the Bronx.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- "Live with Kelly and Ryan" featured a working hero, FDNY paramedic from the Bronx, Elizabeth Bonilla. Bonilla works out of Station 3 and has been a paramedic for two years.

She's a single mom of two, ages 16 and 22. Bonilla says, "I'm scared every day to bring it home, not only just for them, but for me as well."

Bonilla said that she can often tell when she arrives on the scene, whether or not someone has coronavirus. "You come face to face with the monster," she said. "You see someone gasping for air, almost like suffocating. They're sweating, they're weak, you feel the heat coming from their body, they're trembling, they're discolored in their face and their extremities, it's almost like their body can't support their own weight, they're constantly laying down and they don't want to get up."

Mark Consuelos, filling in for Ryan, asked Bonilla if she can feel the support from New Yorkers, especially at 7 p.m. when everyone in the city cheers, bangs on pots, and honks horns in support of the frontline workers.

"We hear you, we see you, thank you for the recognition," she said. "It keeps us going, it keeps us strong."