PHU grad Desmon Silva fighting rare coronavirus-related infection

Desmon Silva, a former football player at Palm Harbor University, is in Boston after becoming paralyzed due to a coronavirus-related infection. 

Silva, who works as a nurse at Largo Medical Center, showed signs of recovering after testing positive for the virus. Then he stopped breathing two weeks ago. Silva was put on a ventilator for about a week at Countryside Mease before flying to Boston, where he still is in the intensive care unit at Massachusetts General Hospital.

At PHU, Silva was a linebacker, recording 44 tackles and causing two fumbles during his senior season in 2014. 

A GoFundMe page organized by Silva’s girlfriend, Brooke Griffin, a former soccer standout at Countryside, has already raised more than $130,000 of its $200,000 goal.