A friend's story

OPINION

One of the many benefits that the newspaper business has given me is the opportunity to live in many different places. We have lived in Mississippi, Tennessee and Delaware, to name just a few.

In each place, we have met wonderful people who have contributed to our lives. This is a story about one of those people. For this column, I will call him Clay.

I first met Clay at a gym in Delaware. I was trying to figure out how to work one of the new pieces of exercise equipment the gym had recently installed. Clay came up and showed me how to operate the machine. We struck up a conversation.

Clay is a very gregarious person. He has a large personality and brings a certain energy to the room as soon as he steps into it. He is one of those guys everyone knows and everyone likes. At the gym, Clay had a word or a wave for everyone and constantly kept a smile on his face. Truth be told, I think Clay spent more time talking with people at the gym than he did actually working out.

Even if that was the case, Clay was in fantastic shape. He had a job that was very physically demanding and he told me it was a necessity to stay in good condition. That, plus he has a wife and four great kids a home. Clay always told me playing with his kids is his favorite exercise. However, he also lifted weights, practiced yoga and ran a 5K every week.

Clay was diagnosed with COVID-19 in early June. He was not vaccinated. Clay told me he thought since he was in his mid-30s and healthy that he did not need the shot. In addition, all of the different information out there regarding vaccinations confused him. Clay told me he viewed himself as a sort of "COVID Cowboy" navigating the dangers of COVID like a cowboy handled the bandits he experienced on the trail.

A week later, pneumonia had set up in both of Clay's lungs. He did not want to be admitted to the hospital and his doctor said if he did not get any worse that he could stay home with his family. The coughing and fever continued and Clay was ultimately admitted into the hospital.

An EKG showed a severely elevated heart rate and his liver began to act up. His lungs began to clear up, however, and the doctor said it was possible he could go home in a couple of days and begin outpatient physical therapy.

That was not to be the case, as Clay's condition worsened and his doctor diagnosed him with COVID-induced myocarditis. His heart was being damaged by the continuous high pulse rate and fever. He also experienced liver damage.

Clay's fever finally broke two days later. Two additional days after that, the doctor deemed it safe for Clay to be discharged from the hospital. He was given a medicine cabinet full of pills and ordered to keep strict bed rest. He was told he would need rehabilitation to get his heart back into a healthy state.

Over the next week, Clay was admitted into the hospital three additional times with cardio and respiratory trouble. He said, "It was a living nightmare. Not just for me but for my wife and kids. I could see the fear in their eyes and I know they could see it in mine."

Almost a month and a half after being diagnosed with COVID-19, Clay is still on a heart rate monitor and is very limited in his physical activity. He has a long road in front of him to try to rehabilitate his heart. His doctor said he might be a candidate for disability because it will be months, if not years, before he will be able to return to work.

I asked Clay if I could share his story with you, and he said absolutely. He said if he can convince just one person to be vaccinated and not have to go through what he was going through then it would be worth it to him. He said if you do not want to do it for yourself do it for your loved ones.

Clay said, "I have put my family through so much because of this. I feel as a father I have done a disservice to my kids. I have scared them and made them cry. That is not what a daddy does."

I encourage you to get vaccinated if you have not done so already. It does not cost you anything to get it but it could cost you everything if you don't.

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