Man, where do I begin? This may be very long, so please, bear with me.

 

This is VERY difficult for me to do, and those that truly know me, know I am not one to ask for help or even usually accept it when offered. I don’t like to put my burdens on anyone and always try to take it all on myself. 

Well, I’m at a point right now where I have to break down and ask for support. That includes prayers, positive thoughts, love and support...and at this time, financially.

 

I started not feeling well on 8/29/21. The person that I am with my work ethic, I don't take sick days (or if you know me, hangover days...let's be real here lol). I will go to work not feeling well because I do have a strong work ethic and I never want to make someone else work harder because I could not make it in. That's just who I am. So, I powered through work that week, but got worse and worse each day, and every hour that I worked. That Tuesday, the 31st, was the first time I broke down and said I needed the day off because of my fever. I rested all day but continued to get worse. I couldn't stand the fact I was missing work, as we were already a man down and we are a small family owned business, in the busiest time of the year for us. So I went back to work Wednesday. Like many I know, I never thought of Covid, and said there are other sickness' still, it's not Covid, and I can work through this. So, I powered on, while getting worse and worse. On Sunday the 5th, Angel forced me to go to urgent care. They did a Covid test, which came back positive, and a chest x-ray that showed double Covid Pneumonia. I was floored. This IS real. I IMMEDIATELY regretted not taking it seriously from the beginning. I was sent home with an inhaler and Zpack, and was told if the symptoms continue to get worse, go to the emergency room. Angel said this was a mistake of the doctor and I needed steroids and a stronger antibiotic. I told her the doctors know what they are doing. I did take off from work at this point, now knowing it was Covid.

 

Three days later, I literally could not breathe. Angel again forced me to go to the ER, so I did. I coincidentally saw the same doctor I saw at urgent care. His literal words where "Oh, man, you look horrible. My bad, I thought I gave you a steroid too". He gave me Prednisone and a pulse oximeter, and said again, if you get worse, come back. Mistake #2 from him. I needed oxygen, I needed a stronger antibiotic, I needed to be monitored. But I trusted in the doctors.

 

Each day from there, every movement I had, I began getting absolutely worse to the point I could not catch my breath for minutes at a time. Just moving an inch laying in bed took my breath away and it felt like daggers being pushed into my lungs. Scary does not begin to explain this feeling . Angel checked me all day and night and my oxygen levels (not moving) went down to a very dangerous low of 71. Angel demanded we needed to call an ambulance to the house. I finally stopped being stubborn and agreed. The ambulance came. Angel told them the events that led up to this and they where shocked I was sent home not once, but twice. They immediately took me to the hospital and they were adamant they stayed with me to speak to the doctors before they just left me there. I am so thankful for them! I was admitted into the hospital at that point and spent 7 days fighting for my survival. Day 1 and 2, the nurses and doctors were unsure of my recovery and I was told that if I can’t breathe on my own, I will have to be put on a ventilator, and my chances were slim. Hearing this, and knowing I was not allowed ANY visitors, took me to a very dark and depressed state of mind. The thought of never seeing my children, family, and friends again was so overwhelming. I was pissed at myself for making fun of Covid in the first place and thinking it was all a joke. It certainly is not. Thinking of my my loved ones and being able to see them again gave me the strength to start fighting harder than I ever have before. This quite literally was the fight for my life. I was able to slowly catch my breath with the help of constant oxygen, and the very strong meds they were giving me via IV to fight the infections and inflammation in my lungs. Days 3, 4, 5, and 6 were a battle. They had me doing breathing exercises and light walk tests (which I failed immediately). This only motivated me to keep working and not give up.

 

By day 7, I was able to do a 5 minute stand in place test where my oxygen levels dropped to a 79, but with the help of 6 liters of oxygen I was able to recover (which was the highest level I could be released to go home with). That Saturday the 18th, my doctors signed off on my release with skepticism, but also with confidence I would continue to work hard doing everything they advised. They were on the same page with me due to my mental state, that rehabilitation at home would be a much better option with a more positive environment for my mental and physical recovery. I am slowly getting better and my progress is moving forward. I have a long ways to go still with my lungs, but to say I am grateful to be alive and to be getting better, is a true understatement. My outlook on my health, my lifestyle, my family, etc., is going to be drastically different. In such a positive way that I cannot wait for it. I have been given a second chance, and I will not mess with that.

 

I will have a lot of medical bills accumulating and still have numerous follow ups with specialists to ensure and monitor my recovery. Unfortunately, I do NOT have medical insurance with my job as they do not offer it. I have now been out of work for almost a month. If I don’t work, I don’t get paid. We have a small savings we had going to buy a house, that will be depleted, and still not even remotely be enough for the medical bills alone. I have taken all the steps and have applied for assistance to help. I have been told it may cover some, it may cover a lot, or it may not cover me at all. But any relief I receive with that will be a blessing. As I stated in the beginning of this , I do not like that I have to even put this out there and ask for help, but at this point I have no other options.

 

I pray no one has to go through what I did, but the very sad truth is that so many are. And what's even worse and what absolutely breaks my heart knowing, is how they and their loved ones feel. I can’t begin to imagine the heartache of the families and friends of the ones who lost their battle, and were not even able to visit them in the hospital.

 

I appreciate you all for taking the time to read my story and I wish you all health, happiness, and love. Don’t take a day for granted and say I love you often. You never know when those opportunities will no longer exist. I love you all and I am grateful to have so many amazing people in my life. Your prayers, positive thoughts, support, love, and just knowing I was in your thoughts, means more to me than I can ever describe .

 

Thank you!

From the bottom of my heart,

Tim

Also, if anyone would prefer to donate via Zelle (via my phone number), or PayPal/Venmo (via Angel) we do have those options….

PayPal: @AngeliqueEngels
Venmo: @angel5711