Labor Day weekend September 4th, 2021, our family was doing yard work all weekend. On Tuesday, September 7th, 2021, John said he wasn’t feeling too well and was going to stay home from work. John stayed home the rest of that week from work which was very unusual for him. He asked me if I could go pick up his laptop from work around Thursday, September 9th. John did not seem like he was too sick just not feeling 100%. He kept a lot to himself and never complained whenever he was sick, which again, was not that often. I was busy running the kiddos to their activities and not home that much during this time.
On Saturday, September 11th, John woke up and said he felt so much better and was up doing laundry and chores around the house. Sunday, September 12th, our oldest son, Chase, had a college ID camp which was approximately 2 ½ hours away. Chase and I left around 6:30 am and did not return until around 10:30p to 11 pm. Everyone was still in bed when we left and everyone was in bed when we returned so I did not speak to John or our twins, Trent or Tori the entire day. I assumed that John was feeling better and would be going to work on Monday, September 13th. However, after I had gotten the kiddos to school and I returned home John was still in bed and said he wasn’t feeling well and was staying home again that day. I asked if he needed to go to the Doctor but he said no he was ok. I am constantly running with our kiddos and just running errands that I just did not realize John was starting to get really sick.
Tuesday, September 14th, John said he just felt like he had head and chest congestion so I gave him a breathing treatment with Budesonide and I had a Pepcid AC and gave him that. I had filled out the form on the American Frontline Doctors Website to try to get Hydroxychloroquine or Ivermectin but I never received any call or email from them. Then, unfortunately, American Frontline Doctors sent me an email advising they were just so backed up that they would be canceling my request and I would need to submit another request. I am not certain if they ever tried to contact me. I never received any voice message from them but just did not try to reach out to them again. I asked John again if he needed to go to the Doctor and he replied, “no”. Wednesday, September 15th, John did not seem to be getting any better and seemed to be confused and I got a bit panicked and said you need to go to the ER. This is a mistake that I will regret for the rest of my life. I had done all my research and knew everything that was happening to patients that were diagnosed with “Covid Pneumonia” and this had me concerned about taking him to the ER as well, but I did not know what else to do.
No Remdesivir!
Once I checked John into Geisinger Hospital Shamokin I did not want to leave his side because I wanted to make certain I knew everything that they were saying and doing to my husband. The check-in staff advised me that I needed to go fill out paperwork while they were checking my husband’s vitals. So I went and filled the paperwork out as quickly as I possibly could so I could get right back at my husband’s side. They advised us that they would need to swab his nose for a Covid test and I asked if he could please just spit in a cup instead of having the swab up his nose. They laughed at me and said there was no such test, that the swab was the only way to test for Covid, and proceeded to swab his nose while I was resisting the swab.
While we were waiting for the test to come back they proceeded to do a chest x-ray and about that time his test came back positive. So they immediately suited up in all the PPE gear and said that he had “Covid Pneumonia” and would need to be admitted into the hospital. I noticed that the Dr. treating my husband was one of our son’s soccer teammate’s moms, Dr. McElroy, so I thought, oh good she will listen to me. I asked her to please give my husband Ivermectin, Hydroxychloroquine, intravenous high dose vitamin C (10,000-20,000), intravenous vitamin D, Intravenous Zinc, and breathing treatments with Budesonide. Dr. McElroy said that that is not their hospital protocol and they would not be giving any of those meds to my husband and said that they would be giving him Remdesivir. I immediately said no he is NOT to go on Remdesivir. Dr. McElroy asked me why and I said because it puts you into renal failure and people are dying on that medication. She said I was very misinformed and turned around and stormed off. I was in tears. They then advised me that John needed to be moved to a room but he had to wait until one was ready. I went to the bathroom and when I came back Dr. McElroy was talking to John asking him, “What do YOU want?” As soon as she saw me coming she got up and left.
Shortly after that, a room had opened up and they moved John up to the room which I was able to follow him too. Visiting hours were over by this time but they allowed me to go up with him for just a few minutes. They advised me that our primary care Physician, Dr. Duane Donmoyer, would be in at 8 am that next morning (Thursday, September 16, 2021) and that I would be able to come back in the morning to speak with Dr. Donmoyer at that time and that John was allowed 2 visitors only and had to be the same 2 visitors every time we came to visit. On Thursday, September 16th, our oldest son, Chase, and I arrived at Shamokin Geisinger Hospital by 8 am and I was able to speak with Dr. Donmoyer. I told Dr. Donmoyer the treatment that I wanted for John, which again, was the Ivermectin, Hydroxychloroquine, intravenous high dose vitamin C 15,000 to 20,000 mg, intravenous vitamin D3, intravenous Zinc, multivitamins, and breathing treatments with Budesonide. Dr. Donmoyer also refused and said that Remdesivir is what they are using to treat Covid patients. I advised Dr. Donmoyer that I did not want John to have Remdesivir and that Remdesivir was putting patients into renal failure and killing patients. I proceeded to tell Dr. Donmoyer that Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine cost pennies compared to Remdesivir which was anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 per dose and that is why they were using this drug. I also advised Dr. Donmoyer that hospitals and Dr.’s were getting kickbacks for using this on Covid patients. Dr. Donmoyer said that I was very misinformed and that he had talked to John about the treatment and John agreed to go with their hospital protocol but John did advise Dr. Donmoyer that he did not want to be vented or resuscitated. Dr. Donmoyer then left the hospital to go to his clinic. I absolutely could not even believe it. Chase and I stayed with John for a little bit and then went to get some of his personal items for him.
Moved And Isolated
While we were at the hospital with John his oxygen saturation was fluctuating between 88% and 93%. I returned that evening by myself and they told me that they would be moving John to the main hospital which was Danville Geisinger Hospital so if they needed something for him that the Shamokin hospital did not have they would not be in an emergency situation to get him over to the main hospital. Once he leaves the Shamokin Hospital he would no longer be in Dr. Donmoyer’s care and that he would be in the care of the physician on duty of the wing that John would be on at the Danville Geisinger Hospital. John was taken over that evening by ambulance and it was past visiting hours so I was not allowed to go with him or follow him over. I did call over to the Danville Hospital and asked the Dr. who was treating John to give him the Ivermectin, Hydroxychloroquine, intravenous high dose vitamin c, intravenous vitamin D, intravenous Zinc, intravenous vitamins, and the breathing treatments with budesonide but once again was told it is not our hospital protocol and they would only be able to give him 1,000 mg of vitamin C and could give him vitamin D3 and some other vitamins but that was it. I begged them to give him the intravenous high dose vitamin C but they refused and still kept him on the Remdesivir.
I asked what time visiting hours were but they advised me I would not be allowed to visit because I was in close contact with my husband and I would need to quarantine for 14 days which started on Wednesday, September 15th, the day John tested positive for Covid pneumonia. I had to call every morning, noon, and evening to ask how John was doing. Not once did they call me to give me an update on John. On either Friday, September 17th, or Saturday, September 18th, they advised me when I called that they would be moving John to the ICU so they could keep a closer eye on him. Even in the ICU, I had to call to find out how John was doing. On Sunday, September 19t, I started to get sick and began to decline very quickly. I found it very odd that our Dr., Dr. Donmoyer, did not ask how I was doing or how any of our 3 children were doing once John was admitted into the hospital with Covid. You would think that your Dr. would want to make certain that we were all doing ok and get all of us on meds right away so none of us would get sick with Covid! I started to worry about our 3 children that if I were to get so sick that I would also have to go to the hospital, what would our children do? One of my husband’s best friends from NY got me a telemed Dr. who monitored me and made certain I was staying hydrated and had me check my pulse ox every morning and night until I was at a 97% to 99% oxygen saturation which took about a week or 2. Thank you Jesus for this Dr.
He Was Gone
On Sunday, September 19th when I called for an update and I ALWAYS asked the nurse what meds and vitamins they had John on. She advised me that they did have him on 5,000 IU’s of Vitamin D3 and was still eating a liquid diet. She also advised me that John’s oxygen saturation was 90% – 91% during the day but would drop down to 87% – 90% at night. I asked if they were moving him around and at least switching positions so he wasn’t always laying in the same position and the nurse told me that they were switching positions. John had texted me that day at about 12:15p and said his oxygen saturation was at 92% that night. When I called and spoke to the nurse she told me his oxygen saturation was 86% – 88% that night and that he drank his liquid dinner. On Monday, September 20th at about 8:30 am I spoke with his nurse and they still had him on the 5,000 IU’s of vitamin D3 and some other vitamins and his oxygen saturation was 86% – 93%. I called back at 6:30 pm and spoke with his nurse and he was able to prone which had brought his oxygen saturation to 94% but had been 85% – 90% most of the time and he was eating a liquid diet and was maintaining.
On Tuesday, September 21st at approximately 4 am I received a video call from the nurse saying that John was not doing well and really struggling, and was there any way that I could get to the hospital? I told her I was so sick I could not drive. So they had called the Priest in to give him his last rights. The Priest came in and prayed over John while I watched and listened and soon afterward my husband passed away. It broke my heart then I had to tell our 3 children that their father had passed away.
Our Faith is in The Lord
I did request all of John’s medical records from the hospital and I am on page 25. I have so many questions! One is why am I always hearing that these patients are passing away around 4 am? I don’t believe I have heard of one person who passed away during the day! My children and I were not ready to say goodbye. This dad was the best dad and he had so many more years left to be with us.
Now our oldest son, who will be graduating from high school this year will not have his dad there to see him get his diploma or see him play in any of the college soccer games that Chase will be a part of in the fall. They will not get to take the soccer trip overseas together that they had been planning to go on for over 2 years now. Our twins, Trent and Tori, who are sophomores now, will not have a father to teach them how to drive. They will not have their father see them graduate in a few years either. Tori will not have her father walk her down the aisle. Trent will not have his dad to go check out the newest vehicles on the market. I will not have my husband to grow old with. So many things I could go on and on.
We do know one thing and that is that we have a Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who is carrying us through this! “I am holding you by your right hand. I guide you with my counsel, and afterward, I will take you into Glory.” We put all our faith in Him.
