After Dan DiZio, CEO of Philly Pretzel Factory, emerged from a medically induced coma following a month spent on a ventilator, he had to relearn how to walk while also figuring out how to get his business through the pandemic unscathed, writes Hannah Kanik for the Philly Voice.

.DiZio, a healthy and active 47-year-old, started suspecting he had COVID-19 at the very start of the pandemic.

After he got tested at Holy Redeemer Hospital in Abington, he drove to Jefferson Hospital where he was immediately admitted.

Five days later he was in a medically induced coma hooked on a ventilator. He stayed like that for the next five weeks.

When he finally woke up on May 1, he had a long recovery ahead of him. “I thought I’d never be back to normal again,” said DiZio.

He also learned that 50 of his stores had to close temporarily and sales had fallen by 70 percent across the board.

But the business adapted. Franchises started delivering soft pretzels via Grubhub and DoorDash and began offering curbside pick-up at stores. And despite the many challenges, most locations managed to survive.

Read more about Dan DiZio at the Philly Voice by clicking here.