Star-spangled onesies: Meet the babies born at UNC REX Hospital on July 4.

"I'm going to be at home, safe and sound with my family," said Avery, a barber from Kansas City, Missouri, when asked how he would celebrate his birthday and Independence Day.

"You're just as at risk as anybody else," Avery said.

By the time Avery arrived at Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park, Kansas, on April 6, he says he had what felt like every Covid-19 symptom, including chills, high fever and body aches.

"I was definitely thinking that something bad was about to happen," Avery said.

Avery says he remembers very little of what came next.

Once he arrived at the hospital, Avery remembers getting out of his car and into a wheelchair

Before getting sick, Avery had taken precautions to ensure his family's safety amid a lockdown, like making sure there was enough food

Shakell's mother, Willetta Avery, says her son first started getting sick in late March, when some health guidance had not developed into what it is now

At the time, US officials were still discussing whether to issue mask guidance, and the World Health Organization encouraged people to wear masks only if they were sick

"My take on it was that older people were getting this virus and they were more susceptible as far as getting really sick from it," Willetta Avery said

Willetta Avery remembers getting a call from the hospital at 4:30 a.m

"It was as if I would be seeing him for the last time," she said

Avery's doctors at Menorah Medical Center collaborated with physicians at Research Medical Center in Kansas City -- both are part of the HCA Healthcare system -- to treat him with convalescent plasma

Willetta Avery says that after receiving the plasma, her son's condition started to improve

He also struggled with depression in the hospital, particularly when his family would come visit him at a tent the hospital set up outside his window

"It was a great moment at the time being, but as soon as they left I went right back down," he said

Shakell returned to Menorah Medical Center with his family on Tuesday to thank staff for helping him

Footage from CNN affiliate KMBC shows Avery outside the hospital with a walker -- and a mask -- wearing a black shirt that reads, "I beat Covid-19." Some nurses who greeted his family carried signs that read "Shakell Strong" and "Shakell, you're our hero."

"I was more than grateful," Avery said

"Every time you carelessly step out your door -- no mask or no empathy for anyone else's life -- you're counting your days," he said