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Gospel Singer BeBe Winans Says He's 'Learned to Be More Grateful' After Coronavirus Diagnosis

BeBe Winans is detailing his harrowing experience recovering from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The gospel legend called into SiriusXM’s The Joe Madison Show Thursday, where he revealed he and several of his family members were diagnosed with the respiratory illness.

Winans shared that he contracted the virus from “just a little travel” after taking a quick trip from New York to Detroit for a funeral. However, he admitted that he didn’t think he would be one to catch it.

“We look at television and various things that’s going on around us, we somehow say, that can’t happen to me for some reason. I don’t know why, but sometimes we believe that,” he said.

Leon Bennett/WireImage BeBe Winans

The 57-year-old said he began to feel symptoms of the virus shortly after coming home.

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“I just started coughing out of nowhere and you get concerned. Then the fatigue came on and the chills and appetite went away. And I called my doctor and he said, ‘Okay BeBe, stay home and this is what you do. As you know, you can’t just go to the hospital, and if you’re not in need of a respirator they won’t even take you,'” he explained.

At the same time Winans was battling the virus, his brother had also gone into the hospital with a fever and pneumonia for “four or five days.”

The Grammy-winner’s mother also experienced symptoms for about five days.

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Since recovering from the virus, Winans said he is “just grateful” and has been thanking God “because it could have been a different outcome for me and my family.”

“So, I’ve learned to be more grateful for life itself,” he explained. “Forget about homes and automobiles and all these things. You can’t take none of that. That means nothing to you when your health is gone.”

As of April 9, there are at least 429,264 confirmed cases and 14,820 deaths in the United States, according to a New York Times database.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. To help provide doctors and nurses on the front lines with life-saving medical resources, donate to Direct Relief here.