Page 6 - UPSON Issue 1

Hope Blooms: A
Springtime is a season of renewal and rebirth. This year, springtime brought a renewal that many prayed for in our community. James George, the Upson County Coroner of the last ten years, was diagnosed with COVID-19 in April. His story, like so many others, began with him feeling sick with something like a cold but quickly progressed to a life-threatening situation.
On April 9, 2020, a warm spring day, James was at work despite not feeling his best. He went to an urgent care center once
he realized he had a fever and where he had an elevated white blood cell count. Thinking it was perhaps a run-of-the- mill upper respiratory infection, they gave him an antibiotic.
“I started to get worse, so on April 12, 2020, I went to Upson Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Room,” said James. He was admitted that day with double pneumonia, and also was tested for COVID-19. His test came back positive. He was on the Special Care Unit for a week, and started feeling worse.“The week I was on Special Care was like a blur,” James said. Doctors moved him to Upson Regional’s ICU and placed him on a ventilator.
After James tested positive, his wife of forty years, Beverly,
was not feeling well and began experiencing symptoms such
as weakness, coughing, not being able to smell and loss of appetite. She also tested positive for COVID-19. Beverly was able to recover at home, but without James by her side.
“I wasn’t able to see him physically, but the nurses and doctors FaceTimed me the entire time James was in the hospital, and also sent pictures. When he was conscious, they would tell me that whenever he heard my voice, he would wave or jump,” Beverly said.
“They tried to wean him off the ventilator several times, but were unsuccessful. He finally was weaned off fully,” said Beverly.
Their church family and many friends brought food to their home while they were both sick, and James and Beverly’s sons made sure Beverly was taken care of at home while James was
in the hospital. Beverly mentioned that Sharon Ledford, a friend and nurse at Upson Regional Medical Center, came by the house every day to check on her.
James and Beverly were finally able to see each other face to face, in an emotional reunion that most in attendance won’t soon forget when he was discharged to go home on May 15, 2020. The halls of the hospital, filled with tearful, overjoyed employees, came alive that spring day as James made his exit. Outside, Beverly sprang from her car with a ready hug and kiss for her husband. Law enforcement officers, fire fighters, first responders, and other emergency personnel came to show their support for their peer, their friend.
James still has lung damage and has to wear oxygen. Although it may be 6 months or more before his lungs are back to normal, James does therapy and exercises, and is getting stronger every single day. His appetite has come back, and he is on the road to making a full recovery.
James wanted to express his sincere appreciation for the excellent care he received while at Upson Regional Medical Center.“I’m not a writer, but I just wanted to let the Upson Regional Medical Center staff know how much I appreciate them,” he said. The letter reads as follows:
It is with the greatest gratitude that I write this letter to you. I would like to take a minute of your time to tell everyone how grateful I am for the care I received while I was in the hospital with COVID-19. From my first day here to the last day, I received the best care anyone could imagine. Combined with prayers, compassion, and words of encouragement and comfort during the days I remember and days I don’t, I know I was taken care of. There is no way I could call everyone by name because there were so many people in so many different departments that it would be impossible for me
to even try. To those who were directly involved in my care and to those I never saw, I would like to say thank you for the care I received. I thank the Lord for all of you and am praying for your safety during this difficult time.
Sincerely,
James George
James George
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