Meet the COVID survivor who threw the first pitch at a historic Blue Jays game

Jeffrey Freedman was working for a Toronto tile company when the pandemic hit. The office was deemed an essential service, so Freedman kept going into work. His wife's daycare business was shut down due to the pandemic and money got tight, so he kept going in until he took ill. He started having trouble breathing and was rushed to North York General Hospital near the end of Passover. On April 15, he was taken into the ICU, where he spent more than a month living on a ventilator.

Miraculously, Freedman survived. But he hasn't been the same since his recovery. His voice is different after being intubated, his left arm has weakened and he suffers from other medical issues that have left him unable to drive or work. That makes Freedman one Canada’s "COVID long-haulers"—those who survived the disease but continue to suffer from ongoing health problems.

One small upside has been the response he got from the Toronto Blue Jays, a team he's rooted for his whole life. the organization invited him to throw the first pitch at the opening game in July—their first in Toronto in two years. Today, Freedman joins the show to share his story.

What we talked about:

• Watch the Jays' home opener pregame ceremony on YouTube
• Watch Jeffrey accept more than $600,000 from the Jays Care Foundation at mlb.com/bluejays

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.