Friends and family, it saddens me to inform everyone that Doug Deal is still in the hospital due to the COVID Delta variant. He is fighting for his life. His devoted wife, Lauren, recovered from COVID and is caring for their 2 children - Sam (13) and Isobel (10) while also keeping their business running and being with Doug as much as allowed. Below are some details of their journey and what is needed to help in Doug’s recovery and to get him home.

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From Lauren:

As I posted on my Facebook page, at that point, I was 29, Doug was 34. I had prayed to God for many years that I would be married and have a family. When I gave myself over to God’s will and asked Him to simply show me the path he wanted for me, God showed me Doug. I knew the moment we met that he was meant to be my husband. He is also my best friend, the person I admire and respect most in the world, my greatest cheerleader, and the person I turn to for advice in everything. He is the smartest person I know, and he is always the first person to help people in need.

He works for our small family business and helps homeschool our children. His family is the most important thing in Doug’s life, and we spend a great deal of time together. He has a passion for cooking and food photography, and he loves sharing the meals he prepares and photographs with others.

He is the publisher and editor of Macon Community News, and for many years, he has used his positive-focus journalism to support Middle Georgia restaurants, entrepreneurs, artists, community groups and others.

Doug became ill with coronavirus on July 27 or 28. For over a week, his symptoms were mild and we were not concerned, until his oxygen levels dropped very suddenly on August 3. He was admitted to the hospital on August 4, where he initially improved on oxygen therapy, but on August 8, he was intubated and placed on a ventilator. For 18 days, we were not able to talk to him or see him, and his prognosis was poor. We learned about the WebEx video chat system and within days of beginning contact, his condition improved.

After five days of visits from family and prayer over him, Doug’s condition improved enough that he was able to receive a tracheostomy, which allows for longer time on the ventilator while decreasing the risks of infection. However, since receiving the trach, Doug’s lungs have also begun to form scarring; for the sickest of patients, scarring is part of their Covid recovery, and their lungs get worse before they get better. But there are medical journal reports and Facebook stories of people recovering from the scarring. The thing Doug needs most of all is more time.

Through this entire nightmare, Doug’s heart, blood pressure, and kidneys have continued to function normally without medical intervention, and CT scans have shown normal brain activity. Following his tracheostomy procedure, the doctor removed his sedation drugs and reduced his pain medication quickly. On Labor Day, I video chatted with Sam and Isobel from Doug’s room and when our kids began to speak to him, Doug opened his eyes and tried to sit up in bed and speak to them. It showed me that Doug knows who he is, who we are, and he’s fighting to come home to us.

Doug is considered stabilized on the ventilator with the tracheostomy but insurance issues are affecting his care. Doug needs to go to a Long Term Acute Care Facility (LTAC), where they will give him time for his lungs to recover, then wean him off the ventilator. He will learn how to walk, swallow, talk, and care for himself again. The hospital is not cooperating in finding a LTAC facility for Doug, and instead suggests that he will come home on a ventilator – and we are preparing for a legal battle if necessary because we know that Doug cannot receive adequate care or rehabilitation at home, and at this point, he is nowhere near stable enough to be without critical care from skilled nurses around the clock.

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Please donate whatever your heart leads you to. Lauren, Sam and Isobel need him well and at home with them.