'Blue Bloods' Actor Nick Cordero Undergoes Leg Amputation Amid Ongoing Fight Against COVID-19

Photo credit: Walter McBride - Getty Images
Photo credit: Walter McBride - Getty Images

From Country Living

  • Broadway and television star Nick Cordero has been fighting an ongoing battle with COVID-19 and related complications since he was hospitalized in March.

  • His wife, Amanda Kloots, has been sharing updates with fans and followers about his progress.

  • Most recently, Amanda shared that Nick had to undergo surgery to amputate his right leg.

As Nick Cordero remains in a medically-induced coma while fighting for his life against coronavirus, his wife Amanda Kloots gave an emotional update on his condition after he underwent surgery to amputate his right leg.

"It came down to a point where honestly it was life or leg, and we had to choose life,'' Amanda Kloots said on the Today show on Monday, two days after the surgery at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. "I choose life."

Nick, 41, had his leg amputated on Saturday after struggling with blood clots while on a ventilator and an ECMO machine, which oxygenates the blood and helps support the heart and lungs.

"They put the ECMO machine in him to save his life," Amanda said. "It was literally to save his life, and it did, thank God. And sometimes the repercussion of putting that machine on can cause some blood issues, and it did with his leg."

TV fans may recognize Nick from his recurring roles on Blue Bloods (as mobster Victor Lugo), and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, but he is also a Tony Award-nominated Broadway actor. Most recently, he had been starring in a production of the stage musical "Rock of Ages" in Hollywood over the winter.

On March 30, Nick was rushed to the emergency room after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Two days later he was put in a medically induced coma.

Amanda, a former Broadway dancer and Radio City Rockette-turned-fitness trainer, has been at home taking care of their 10-month-old son, Elvis, and keeping friends and fans updated on Nick's condition via powerful Instagram posts, videos, and stories.

On Saturday night, she posted that the surgery on his leg was successful.

"I just got a call from the surgeon. He made it through the surgery, which is really big because obviously his body is pretty weak," she said. "They’re taking him ... to recover and rest for the rest of night. So hopefully he’ll just relax and rest. But, good news."

Amanda gave another positive update on Monday, saying her husband got a "great report" from his doctor.

"Things are just slightly looking better, little by little," Amanda said in an Instagram story video. "He's getting better and better, medications are getting less and less and machines are going off. Little by little things are getting a little bit better. It's been a much better 30 hours, so I feel a little more at peace. So some good news. The doctor just says we need him to wake up."

Amanda also recently shared a video of the couple dancing together on their wedding night, writing that she and her husband "WILL dance again!"

In the meantime, Amanda has been paying tribute to her husband's musical talents by asking Instagram followers to sing and dance to his songs using the hashtag #wakeupnick.

"It is honestly how I'm getting through this,'' she said. "People I don't even know all over the world are joining me every day at 3 p.m. to sing his song so he can hear us."

Related: How to Make Face Masks During the Coronavirus Shortage

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