They prayed he would recover, and now after a life-and-death battle with COVID-19, a Hauppauge pastor has finally been reunited with his family.

A doctor at Stony Brook University Hospital called Pastor Doug Jansson's long-awaited release miraculous, and others agreed. The pastor was sent off to the sound of applause from his wife and three kids, as well as medical professionals responsible for his care.

News 12 is told it took about 100 people to get the 42-year-old Living Word Church pastor through this journey.

Jansson had to fight to see Wednesday -- he had been in the hospital since Dec. 12, and was intubated on Christmas Eve.

"Over eight weeks of him battling this, almost eight weeks of him almost losing his life and I've imagined this day over and over again, prayed for this day and I'm so incredibly grateful," says Kelly Jansson, Doug's wife.

Jansson's release is even more remarkable because his wife says they were at the very same hospital comforting COVID-19 patients at the height of the pandemic.

"Organizing parades, people coming around the hospital, just to pray for doctor's and nurses, those suffering, he would walk in with boxes and boxes of donuts and say 'is there anything else that I can do?'" says Kelly Jansson. "Everything that he poured out, came back around to him at this very hospital."

In his time under Stony Brook's care, Doug and his wife say the staff of every unit became like family. He was extubated nearly a month ago.

One of the hospital's residents went above and beyond, getting hardcore Jets fan Doug a FaceTime call with former Gang Green safety Erik Coleman.

Kelly Jansson says after the nearly two months without having Doug home, getting to walk out of the hospital with him Wednesday was one of the best days of her life.