Two New Hampshire men who are recovering from COVID-19 said their experience shows how important it is to limit the spread of the coronavirus.Alex Melo, 44, was wheeled past cheering staff Tuesday at Portsmouth Regional Hospital after a battle with COVID-19 landed him in the intensive care unit.”The fact that I was intubated, the fact that based on many stories that I’ve heard where people never wake up from it, it was very emotional for me to be able to walk out of there and see my family again,” he said.The retired Marine said he doesn’t know how he contracted the virus. The otherwise healthy husband and father said his symptoms worsened quickly.”Thank God for those doctors and nurses that are out there fighting for us and keeping us alive,” he said.His gratitude extends to all those on the front lines, such as Portsmouth police Officer Andrew Bridges, who is back at work after a three-week battle with COVID-19 at home.”I lost all my energy,” he said. “I had no appetite. It all just went away. It just felt like I’d been hit by a bus that came out of nowhere. It was a little scary.”Bridges said he also contracted the virus through community-based transmission. He and Melo both emphasized the importance of continued social distancing to slow the spread.Melo said he’s anxious to donate plasma to help others when he’s fully recovered.”I’m a fighter — 20 years in the Marine Corps,” he said. ” I have a fighting spirit in me, and I want to do anything I can to help anybody.”Melo said he believes his wife and daughter also had the virus, but they weren’t sick enough to be tested. He said he hopes it gets to the point where everyone can be tested so that more people can donate antibodies.