Sherman tested positive for Covid on 10/3/21 and his wife, Alicia, on 10/4/21. As their symptoms worsened, Alicia found Sherman in the tub and he didn’t have the strength to get up and out.  He lost his appetite and didn’t drink much.  Alicia called the PCP on 10/4/21 but he didn’t respond to the call. Finally, she called to ask for monoclonal antibodies at the ER at 9pm on 10/6/21. Alicia however was barred from entry.

Worried about what was happening to Sherman, Alicia continued to call hourly.  She finally learned he had been set up with fluids and oxygen in the ER and she could go home, as opposed to waiting in the parking lot for more information. She would be allowed to come back the next day.

Once admitted to the hospital, initially Sherman seemed to do well.  He was eating prime rib, drinking fluids; good nutrition for 2 days. Suddenly, Alicia learned he had been taken to the ICU and although she tried to keep track of what was happening to him, she was only allowed one visit a day and that was to peer through a window at him. On the second day in the ICU the doctor told Sherman he was dying. In the meantime, Alicia questioned the care Sherman was receiving, given the condition of the room. The pulmonologist indicated that his oxygen levels were fluctuating, improving then plummeting.

One day when she pleaded to enter the room, she took pictures of the trash on the floor and condition of her husband’s bed. When the nurses saw this, she was “kicked out” of the room.  Sherman was a fighter and was subsequently intubated as his lungs deteriorated and renal failure was setting in. Sherman was receiving dialysis. “His lungs are like charcoal.”  Three days later, on October 20, 2021, Sherman passed away.  The family was asked to come in for an end of life visit. When Alicia arrived, Sherman’s body was cold and he was purple.  Sherman died before his wife could say good bye.

Alicia wants the world to know that Sherman survived surgery on an aneurysm and the fires of Paradise CA.  However, Sherman could not survive poor care, a one size fits all protocol called Remdesivir, and the lack of compassion of a cold uncaring medical staff at the Santara Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottsville, VA.  We honor the warrior in Sherman who never gave up the fight until he ran up against people devoid of empathy, compassion, and humanity.