MIDLAND, Texas — August 30, 2021 is a day Yvonne Salazar will remember forever.
It's the day she came home from the hospital after putting up a big fight against COVID, and reunited with her daughters Lanie and Zoe.
"Coming home was like the best gift ever because just holding them and seeing them and touching them, being in the same room has been the best medicine," Salazar said.
The reunion was just as sweet for the two young girls.
"And then the younger one was just kind of like 'Is that mommy, is that mommy?' and so she was almost shell-shocked and then realized that it was me coming home and so there were lots of tears," Salazar said.
Although Salazar is finally negative for COVID, she's still recovering. Severe lung damage is making her dependent on oxygen day and night, and her daughters are now her protectors.
Her daughter Lanie has been sleeping in a tent at her bedside every night.
"In the middle of the night, it could be 2 a.m. and I will hear her say 'Mommy are you okay? Mommy, I love you'... Or she'll come up by and just give me a kiss," Salazar said. "It's made them more responsible and then it's kind of frustrating cause I feel like well that's my job, I should be doing that... I told them okay the tides have turned, now it's your turn."
Salazar says she thinks her daughter will stay with her in her room a little while longer.