In honor of mother's day, I would like to recognize one mother who I had the pleasure of speaking with only weeks after she had recovered from the deadly Corona virus.
The courageous mother of five and I had a chance to break the ice on the job with all the sudden changes in our workplace. (Childcare workers are essential in the state of New York)
A regular day at work led to an encounter with someone who I did not expect to tell about their experience with the Covid-19.
20 minutes into our conversation, she spoke about her recent recovery from the virus. I was used to praying for the healthcare workers who endlessly work to provide service but I was eager to understand the experience of a Corona Virus Survivor.
“How did you even know you had Corona and what was it like?”
(Paraphrasing the words) At first, she had a bad cough but did not pay it much attention.
She went to the doctor, who prescribed medicine but she did not get better. Her condition worsened as the pain in her chest increased. When she coughed up blood, she knew it was serious.
Shortly after, she was diagnosed with Corona Virus and was admitted into the hospital.
Reality was hard to grasp for her after being diagnosed with a deadly virus.
Her world had turned upside down. She spent 5 days alone in the recovery room.
No family, no contact with people, no visitors. Her eyes told the story of the "terrifying" quarantine experience.
You're trapped in a room behind steel doors. As you're laying down in bed, you struggle with each breath you take. The healthcare staff check on you only every 4-5 hours. They are fully covered in a quarantine suit where only their eyes are visible.
"What can you do when you're laying in bed?"
You're hooked up to a heart monitor that reads your blood levels and breathing. The pain in your chest causes you to lay still. Drinking water doesn't help, and the medicine they give doesn't last long. "The pain feels worse than child birth."
You feel as if you're having small panic attacks as you fight to control your breathing.
The muscles in your lungs are bruised and sore from the virus attacking your respiratory system.
The heart monitor measured her breathing and heart rate as several IV's were in her arms and hands. If the heart monitor dropped to 94 or below, you were put onto the ventilator. (The patient survival rate drops significantly once you're put on the vent)
At one point, her monitor showed she was at a 94. She knew she had to change her breathing before the staff saw the heart monitor.
For nearly an hour, she fought for every breath to control her breathing.
Minutes before someone entered her room, the heart monitor back up to 95.
(#BeYourOwnHero #HeartbeatofHeroes).
A mother's fighting spirit
“Did you think at any point you weren't going to make it? How did you fight the negative thoughts?”
.
The negative thoughts during the 5 day hospital stay and weeks of quarantine could have gotten the best of her. If she died No one could go to the funeral. If she survived you'll be ostracized and isolated. Thoughts in your head will say you're all alone. Accept your fate and give up!
"I could've let the fact that I had the virus along with lonely thoughts bring me low."
Her reason to fight for her life was stronger than the pain she felt in her body.
She refused to allow her kids to grow up without their mother.
She credits her willingness to fight to regulate her breathing again to her faith in God.
A beloved mother who refused to give up for the sake of her loved ones. That's a mother's day story that the world should know about.
We often credit heroes as those who die for a noble cause. I believe a heroes are those who fight for a a noble cause and can still smile after the battle is over. The outcome does not determine the hero, the mists of the battle does.
The heartbeat of this hero is recognized on this wonderful mother's day where she is spending time in the comfort of her family. Despite nearly two weeks without any physical contact with her kids (one of them a 4-year-old) she weathered the storm of the Corona Virus and lived to tell the tale. Happy mother's day to all the mother's who refused to give up during the battles.
Thank you Nicole for your wonderful story.
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