BARRIE, ONT. -- Six months after fighting for his life in intensive care after being diagnosed with COVID-19, Rene Segura is back working at his coffee shop, Creative Bean, in Barrie.

The 41-year-old Barrie man spent 12 days in the hospital at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre back in the spring as his wife Tracy wondered if each conversation would be their last.

"We said goodnight to him, me and the kids, right before he was intubated, and I asked the doctor, 'Am I going to see my husband again,' and he told me that he couldn't answer that question," Tracy says.

The father of three says he first noticed something wasn't right when he couldn't sleep and developed a headache. The couple says the virus never entered their minds at the time, but then his condition got worse when he started to struggle to breathe.

"From our bed to our washroom, he couldn't even make it," Tracy says. "He would have to sit on the tub and catch himself."

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Segura says the recovery process was challenging.

"At one point, my mental health was really bad because I really thought I wasn't going to come home," he says.

Segura says he is breathing well again and is thankful he has had no lingering symptoms from the virus.

With the second wave now here, he says they are taking every precaution, even deciding to keep their kids out of school, opting for online learning.

The couple plans to stay close as a family to stay safe this time around.