I worked full-time from home, making phone calls for my company. I had my own car, my own place and a full-time job and lived my life.  I started sleeping 12 hours a day, and I had a little persistent cough.  If I sipped water, I could keep the cough down and I could make my phone calls and do my work.

Then one day I thought I saw blood in my stool and I panicked.  I thought maybe I had cancer and that’s why I was sleeping so much.  I went to the emergency room to be checked out.

When I was there, they told me I had Covid, and I had to be admitted to the hospital. I immediately felt trapped as if I had no choice.

When they told me I had covid, I thought, This is Covid?  No big deal!  I wasn’t very sick.

While I was still in the exam room of the emergency area, a doctor, came into my room, fast and very excitedly and greedily said, “Do you want to go on the ventilator?”  I said, “no!”  He got very angry, turned around and whipped out of the room.  He had not even introduced himself.

Then I was admitted to the hospital and isolated. I was able to get up and walk around use the bathroom and get dressed to take care of myself.

They took away my supplements.

They refused to let me have hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin. They said the only treatment that was allowed was Remdesivir. They did not tell me any of the side effects or problems with it.

One day a physical therapist came in and evaluated me and said that he thought I would be going home in a couple days. Then the nurse said I was getting better and she thought I would be going home tomorrow..

The next day, when I woke up, I could not get out of bed. I assume that I was sedated and they were telling me that I was going on the ventilator. I never agreed to go on the ventilator. I thought my daughter had made that decision.  My daughter did not agree to put me on the ventilator. She thought I had made that decision.

I was put in a coma for 28 days.  During that time I lost 80 pounds. I was given a trach.

The only thing I remember about the coma was that I saw a blindingly, bright light, and I heard Jesus say, “ I think have chosen you to live.”

When I woke up from the coma, they isolated me for five more days.  I could not talk because of the trach, and nobody explained what was going on.  I thought all my family and friends had abandoned me, and I was alone in the world.  It was very cruel.

I had lost so many muscles that all I could do was wiggle my hands and wiggle my feet. I could not lift my arms or my legs. I could not swallow. And I could not breathe on my own.  I had to learn how to sit up and stand and walk all over again.

More than 2 1/2 years later I am in assisted-living. I use an electronic wheelchair to go long distances and I can use a walker to walk short distances.  I get out of breath easily and I have to take many breaks when I’m walking.