Nelson and Lisa’s Story

All Because of COVID

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For Lisa and Nelson Garlo, their summer was going well until Nelson began to experience symptoms of COVID-19. He went to the ER at Jackson Hospital and was diagnosed with the Delta variant of COVID. Lisa got tested that night, too, and learned she had COVID as well. After receiving fluids and medicine, Nelson went home and started to feel a little better by the next day.

“At first I felt fine,” Lisa recalled. “So I focused on Nelson. He seemed better, but then his lungs became very congested. He had so much trouble breathing that we called an ambulance and he was admitted to the hospital. Meanwhile, I started having severe nausea with vomiting and diarrhea but no respiratory symptoms.”

“I could not even think straight, because I felt so weak,” Lisa recalled. “At the ER, the blood tests showed that I was in kidney failure, so I was admitted, too. I learned that Nelson was just above me in a bed on the next floor and was very sick. I kept thinking about our 13-yearold son, hoping one or both of us would survive and be there for him.”

“Dr. Christopher, the other doctors and all the nurses and respiratory therapists took wonderful care of us. We are here today because of them. After five days, I was discharged but Nelson was there two more weeks. Today, we are okay but we both get tired easily, and Nelson is still on oxygen,” Lisa said. “Looking back, everything happened so fast. One week we were fine, and the next week we were praying we’d live — all because of COVID. I keep thinking, ‘If only we had gotten vaccinated.’ Had I known then, what I know now, I would have gotten the shot.”