Stephen A. Smith Calls COVID-19 Battle 'Pure Hell'; Thought He Was Going to Die Due to Extreme Symptoms

By Alexandria Reeves

Stephen A. Smith bravely shared his COVID-19 battle and how he survived the experience that almost claimed his life.

After several weeks of absence due to his COVID-19 diagnosis, Smith returned to "First Take" where he shared his bout with the dreaded virus and called it "pure hell."

According to the ESPN personality, he was first admitted to the hospital on New Year. Unfortunately, he suffered from the worst symptoms that he thought he might not make it at all. While he tested positive in December, he did not feel any health issues not until before his hospitalizations.

"You're assuming that you'll have a fever, might have a cough, gonna have that massive headache - but you'll get over it," he said. "In a lot of cases that was the case. In my case it was totally different."

Smith reportedly had around 103-degree fever every night since his hospital admission. He also found himself waking up with chills and sweat. He also suffered from extreme headaches, which were worsened by his constant coughing.

Unfortunately, he faced the virus on New Year's Day.

How Stephen A. Smith Survived COVID-19

Smith said doctors also warned him it could have been worse if he was not vaccinated. Luckily, he got his shot before contracting the virus.

According to the show's host, he learned he had pneumonia in both of his lungs. His liver also began malfunctioning a little due to the medicines he took and the side effects of the virus itself. Even after surviving the disease, he reportedly has to monitor his volume and work on regaining his lungs' capacity by exercising.

"But if it wasn't for several doctors, I wouldn't be here. Love and respect for what they did. Love and respect for people in the sports community and ESPN executives for checking on me every single day. Dave Roberts, Norby Williamson, Jimmy Pitaro - I can't thank you enough," he said, expressing his heartfelt gratitude.

Following his successful but scary bout, he asked everyone to protect others by wearing masks. He also noted how everyone's battles differ.

For instance, his sister - a smoker who had COVID-19 - eventually felt fine in three to four days. With that, he told everyone not to feel content with the vaccine as wearing a mask is essential, too.

Currently, Smith is already tested negative but still recovering from the illness.