Ohio

I got covid in November 2020. I was hospitalized on November 21 with low 02, fever, pneumonia. I spent 10 days in the ICU and seemed to be getting better, except I wasn’t. After spending a night in the step down unit, I had to go back to ICU on December 6. I went on a vent that night and my family received a call that I would probably not make it through the night. A new doctor came on my case early the next morning and put me on a heart-lung bypass machine (ECMO- it’s a life support machine). I was on it for 11 days and a vent for 35 days. Total 54 days on the hospital and 7 months still recovering. I’m about 90% back to normal but it’s been a hard journey.

My sister, Jennifer Marando, age 50, passed sway June 5th after a 7 week battle with Covid-19. She left behind her loving husband, Henry Drechsler, and their 12 children.

My mother, Irene Collins was in assisted living in Bay Village, Ohio. She caught covid from staff members and died on June 2. Mom was 1 month shy of her 91st birthday and now there is a huge void in our lives. Mom always put her children first. She was still worrying about us even when she was sick and dying. She did not want us to be upset. My mother took care of anyone that needed help. She is an angel in every sense of the word.

My dad was diagnosed on July 4th. He fought hard but succumbed to COVID-19 on July 22. My mom, brother and I went to the hospital to find him in his room in ICU completely awake and aware he was going to die. He couldn’t talk but the nurse took a phone to him so we could tell him we loved him, and we waved goodbye to each other. He passed away just over an hour after we left the hospital. We weren’t able to have a proper funeral, this loss has been so hard on our family.