Praying for Cheryl-Mom's battle with Covid

****UPDATE****

Mom(Christine) just didn’t have it in her to post an update so I’m going to do my best for her... 

On October 3, 2020 at 4:26pm, Cheryl lost her battle with Covid-19.  25 days after being admitted to the hospital and just 18 days after being placed on a ventilator. She fought with everything that she had to get back to her family and, unfortunately, she was unable to do so. Her lungs just could not fight the fight anymore and this virus took over.

Our family is so broken. We are all falling apart as this woman meant everything to us and we all prayed so hard for her to beat this. I can’t tell you how hard this was.... We were not able to be with her during her stay, for obvious reasons and never imagined we wouldn’t be able to see her or hold her hand again. For the first time in over 52 years, Terry is alone. His heart is breaking for his wife and it kills the rest of us seeing the pain he is in.

Aside of heartache, his bills are piling up as he has been unable to return to work with no vacation time left to cover his time off. He has been off work trying to help himself get well from his Covid-19 recovery, all the while worrying about his wife whom he could not even speak to. Not only will he have the medical bills to cover Cheryl’s stay and transfer at both hospitals, but now he has funeral expenses to come up with. He would never ask for help which is why I am here doing it for him. So if you have even $1 you’re willing to donate to Terry, we would truly appreciate it. If not, please share Cheryl’s fight with Covid-19. Spread awareness. Take this virus seriously. Protect your family. Most importantly, love like today is your very last day, because you never know when you’re going to lose somebody so important to you.

We find some peace in knowing that she has been reunited with her son after 32 years, but we are all going to miss her terribly.

Stay healthy and thank you all for everything that you have already done to help our family through this terrible time. 
Meagan 

At the end of August both my parents came down with Covid-19. The first week was not so bad, just the typical symptoms you hear about, fever, cough, extremely tired, no taste or smell. They were doing everything they should, staying at home and taking care of each other.

On September 8th my mom woke up saying she couldn’t breathe; we called the local hospital to let them know we were bringing her in. She was scared and frail, she wanted me to go in with her. I asked if I could stay with her but was told that isn’t allowed with Covid-19 patients, I was expecting that answer, just never realized how hard it would be. I told her I would be right outside waiting for her and that everything will be ok, that I loved her and with a heavy heart I handed her over to the ER nurse. She was crying and my heart was breaking, I just wanted to be able to put my arms around her and comfort her.
 
Her oxygen level was 60%, they did a chest x-ray and admitted her into the hospital, with Covid-19 pneumonia. Shortly after being admitted she was put on oxygen through her nose, it was not enough. They switched her to a full mask for oxygen, it was not enough. Eventually they put her on a Bipap machine and that seemed to work. We hoped this would set her on the path to recovery.
 
She had one good day that showed some improvement, getting our hopes up that she would be ok only to learn the following day things were again going downhill. New issues keep popping up, damage to the heart, kidneys, and lungs. She was treated with the Covid-19 drug Remdesivir, steroids. breathing treatments and still continued to go downhill.

 On September 13 the call came that she needed to be transferred to Genesis in Davenport, Iowa where they are better equipped to handle her breathing difficulties. She would have access to a Pulmonary Specialist along with a heart Doctor. We were allowed to do a facetime chat before they took her in the ambulance, that is the picture above, the last time I was able to see and talk to my mom.

Once she arrived at the hospital, they gave her antibodies from Platelets of previous Covid-19 patients. The Doctors felt she was making some slight improvement. were very happy to hear this, but it didn't last long. The very next day we received the news that they were going to have to put her on a ventilator, that her oxygen level would not stay up and her body was fighting to breathe. The news was devastating after believing she was improving.

Currently she is on 100% oxygen on a ventilator, they have given her a paralytic so her lungs do not try to breathe on their own. She is in a medically induced coma fighting for her life.

I was told today that she now has blood clots in her lungs, they are using a scope to try and remove them. Her chest x-ray showed no improvement and she is running a fever again. Even with being on the ventilator her oxygen level only gets to 90%. Her blood work shows she is at high risk of heart failure and her kidneys are now in Stage 3b Kidney disease.

 Her Doctors are telling us is this will be a long slow road; they are talking weeks not days. So, for now we sit and wait for the phone to ring, feeling totally helpless, and praying each time it does that it will be good news.

I have always felt so bad for the people that have been hit like this with Covid-19, just imagining having a loved one so very ill, wanting to be by their side to see they are ok and not being able. I now know how truly horrible this is. The constant ups and downs, living min to min for updates, wondering if I will ever see my mom again.  

My dad is totally heartbroken right now, and still recovering from Covid-19 himself. My parents have been married for 52 years and he is lost without her. I am their only living child as my brother passed at the age of 18.  My Dad has not been able to work for almost a month now because of Covid-19 and they were on a tight budget to begin with due to my mom’s previous medical issues.

I desperately wish I could take care of everything for my parents, they have been through so much heartache over the years, but I am not able to do so on my own. The bills are already critically piling up and we have a very long road to go. I am at a loss as to where to go from here, so I took the suggestion of some very close friends and family to create a go fund me for my parents.

I am very humbly asking for help in any way you can. I know times are hard for everyone right now, so if you are unable to donate but would like to help by saying a Prayer for my Mom and Dad, I would greatly appreciate it. We need all the prayers we can get.

All donations will go to Mom and Dad to cover housing expenses and medical bills. If you would like to drop off a meal or send a card please contact me through Go Fund Me.

I am truly thanking you from the bottom of my heart and praying that each of you NEVER have to go through this yourself. God Bless you all.

 Christine