"This is not the flu. This is corona(virus) can and will kill you. It's not a game," said Payne, who shot cellphone video of himself while in the hospital. "Treat this like your life depends on it because it does. How serious you take this can mean your life."
[Ads /]
FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
When he first contracted symptoms of COVID-19, he said the attack began with a fever and uncontrollable sweating. It later progressed into hallucination, pneumonia, double kidney failure and losing almost 100 pounds. He was on daily dialysis and intubated to help with breathing.
RELATED: Coronavirus symptoms, tips amid COVID-19 outbreak
The father of three spoke to ABC11 from the comfort of his home on Thursday after being hospitalized for nearly a month.
"It's terrifying. Totally terrifying. I did not think I would be here. I saw things that some people probably wouldn't believe," said Payne.
[Ads /]
The New York native's close friend lost six family members to COVID-19 in just one week. He decided to share his story of survival and offer words to the healthcare workers who stood by his side through it all.
RELATED: New York now has more coronavirus cases than any country outside the US
"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to live. Without them, I would not be here," said Payne.
As it stands now, Payne has memory loss and is currently in physical therapy learning to walk again. He had high blood pressure before COVID-19, but miraculously doesn't anymore.