Tag Archives: COVID-19

DAY 24: Hastings woman implores people to stay quarantined at home

April 16, 2020 emmapalova 5 Comments

Hundley: Don’t be selfish

By Emma Palova

Hastings, MI – As the curve of the COVID-19 cases nationally continues to flatten out, people are still suffering, despite yesterday’s protests in Lansing against Gov. Whitmer’s strengthened quarantine restrictions.

For Tori Ann Hundley, 27, of Hastings, the sickness started with a tickle in the throat, followed by a cough and a fever, almost a month ago. But mild body aches grew into difficulty in breathing and resulted in four hospital stays between Hastings and Grand Rapids for a total of 10 days. The most recent one at the Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids on April 13, 2020.

COVID-19 patient, Tori Ann Hundley of Hastings

Spectrum Hospital staff in full PPE gear.

The diagnosis: COVID -19 with pneumonia complications.

“I couldn’t breathe,” she said. “I felt like I had 100 pounds of bricks on my chest. My vitals and labs were all over the place. I have a lot of other health issues that lower my immune system.”

At the hospital, Hundley was taking chloraquine and steroids through IV, but since she was breathing on her own, she wasn’t on a ventilator. She had to be taken off the chloraquine due to complications.

“I am always released after three days and then my lungs start to get bad again,” she said. “I have a partially collapsed lung.”

The Spectrum staff, according to Hundley, all were wearing the PPE gear and came only into the room to administer medications and pain control, and to help when she had to use the rest room.

“They are very precautionery with every step,” she said. “They are treating me the best they can under the circumstances they don’t really know how to handle this virus.”

Taking all the precautions, Hundley thought she wouldn’t be the one to get the coronavirus. She has a four year old daughter, Avery and a partner Tony Amelia.

“The only thing that is helping me get through this is my Lord and Savior,” she said. “I’m exhausted and want to give up, but I don’t because I have a daughter who’s waiting for me to overcome this.”

Hundley has difficulty getting up to use the rest room, and basically to function normally by herself on a daily basis.

“I am scared, worried and anxious,” said Amelia who has been taking care of Hundley and Avery.

Amelia has mild symptoms of COVID-19 that include body aches and a headache. The neighbors are shopping for them.

“It’s like the flu, only a hundred times worse,” said Amelia. “The body aches and headaches, it’s the worse I’ve ever had.”

Even though, the pain goes away for two or three days, it comes back, according to Amelia.

“It’s like a phase,” he said. “It’s scary. It’s a serious matter.”

The worst part for Amelia is seeing Tori going through the pneumonia complications.

“Her right lung has collapsed,” he said.

The right lung on the xray is collapsed.

And Hundley is exhausted from going back and forth between the hospitals.

“I am hoping for healing and for people to open their eyes before someone they love or themselves gets this awful virus,” Hundley said. “It’s a horrible way to spend this quarantine.

“It’s taken me too long to get better, because my immune system is weakened.”

Both Hundley and Amelia stressed the need to take the coronavirus disease seriously, in the wake of Gov. Whitmer’s extended executive order through April 30.

“This virus is no freaking joke and it has dragged me down to where I am exhausted and I want to give up, but I don’t because I have a daughter who’s waiting for me to overcome this.

“I am staying as strong as I can but you guys just need to take this more serious and realize people aren’t as lucky as I am to fight this and it’s been a roller coaster ride. STOP COMPLAINING BECAUSE THIS COULD BE YOU!!!! ”

Even though Amelia doesn’t like the governor’s order, he admitted that it is necessary for people to stay at home.

“You don’t want to spread this or get it,” he said.

Hundley, emotionally drained and physically exhausted, said that people should stay at home, stop being selfish and complaining when others are dying and struggling with the disease.

“I am not doing well, I’m tired, exhausted and I feel awful,” she said. “I’m just praying for some relief soon. This is the worst I’ve every felt.”

Featured photo: Pixabay, coronavirus distance.

Stay tuned for day by day coverage of the COVID-19 quarantine in Michigan.

Thanks to essential workers for keeping us alive.

COVID -19, inspiration, pandemic, social consciousness, Uncategorized

DAY 23: COVID-19 Quarantine sinks in

April 15, 2020 emmapalova 1 Comment

A long road ahead

By Emma Palova

Lowell, MI – Like on a transatlantic flight after four hours, the quarantine in its fourth week, is also beginning to sink in. After all just like aboard that jet, you have nowhere to go. You keep putting one foot in front of the other on the long road to full recovery from the COVID-19 global crisis.

By now you have found out that you can sleep in without feeling guilty about it, you can have a full sit-down breakfast rather than grabbing a granola bar and nasty coffee at the gas station, and you are the boss of each new day. You have polished up your cooking skills, that you feel like a chef at a first-class restaurant and you acknowledge your partner at the dinner table. Your relationships either get better or worse in the quarantine.

You can schedule a zoom or a zoo room meeting to get business done in the morning, you can stretch it into the afternoon or not. You call the friends and family on your list. You are finally in charge of your own life.

The government stimulus check has arrived in your checking account at the bank; for once as promised. Instead of blowing the money, I decided to plant my seeds so I have veggies and I can also monitor time by the growth of the seedlings.

Planting seeds to also monitor the passage of time in the COVID-19 quarantine.

You now have time for your own well-being and your friend’s well being. You’re not killing your plants by forgetting to water them, and you can start new plants from seeds. Your dirty laundry pile is getting smaller and your clean clothes are neatly organized in orderly stacks.

All this said, your beard and your hair may be growing longer. You can also find yourself visiting the pantry with goodies more often. But, aha, you can finish reading or writing that long-forgotten book. You can spend more time on the phone with your friends.

That’s what happened to me today. I usually procrastinate before I start writing; anything serves as a good excuse. In front of my eyes I could see the TV commercial where Sam encourages “to call them, not Sam.”

I’ve been meaning to call my lifelong friend Eva from Kromeriz in Czech Republic for the last year. To my credit, I really did lose her phone number and I emailed her before Christmas without hearing back from her.

I quickly messaged her son John who connected us like a true phone operator after many years. I found out about a Czech quarantine invention. The conversation was priceless. More about that in another post.

Now, this all wouldn’t have happened if there was no COVID-19 crisis. I would have just continued to quietly think about my friend Eva without any action to “call her.”

Thanks, Sam, for connecting us.

Stay tuned for day-by-day coverage of the COVID-19 quarantine.

Watch for a story about Hastings woman infected with coronavirus. Her plea is.”

“Stay home, do not be selfish.”

Featured photo: Pixabay, coronavirus isolated.

pandemic, Uncategorized

Day 1: Tracking the Covid-19 shutdown

March 24, 2020 emmapalova Leave a comment

Fighting fear, anxiety and boredom during the three-week shutdown

Note from Emma Palova:

I will be tracking the COVID -19 shutdown in Michigan for the next three weeks in this series, in order to offset people’s, and my own worries about unemployment, boredom and anxiety by providing resources and tips. The good news is that spring is here inspite of the Coronavirus shutdown of 43 percent of population in the U.S.

Day 0: Monday, March 23, 2020

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a stay-at-home executive order on Monday at 11 a.m. for the next three weeks effective at midnight on March 24.

In the evening, we watched Steven Soderbergh’s “Contagion.” Released in 2011, the movie tracks exactly what we’re experiencing now with the Coronavirus outbreak.

At times, I did not know if I was watching the movie or the news on TV.

Heeding all the warnings of the worsening Coronavirus pandemic, I am staying at home and making the final corrections to the upcoming book “ Greenwich Meridian Memoir.”

Thanks, to editor Carol Briggs, for editing the manuscript that covers more than 50 years of the Konecny family immigration saga from former Czechoslovakia to the U.S.

There has been a wave of cancellations of shows and events including the West Michigan Women’s Expo, Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce Expo and the upcoming Spring into the Past historic tour in early May.

I fear for my parents who have decided to travel from Florida back to Michigan this Sunday. It’s a 1,500 mile trip across four states.

I fear for my daughter Emma, who is a practicing ER doctor in France, where the spread of the Coronavirus is as bad as in the USA.

One member of our extended family has already been diagnosed with the Coronavirus.

In face of these challenges, I found consolation and strength in several things; the televised mass from the St. Andrews Cathedral sponsored by the Grand Rapids Diocese. Bishop David Walkowiak served in an empty church.

Deepak Chopra released his “Hope in Uncertain Times yesterday.” The link to the free meditation is https://chopracentermeditation.com/store/product/156/hope_in_uncertain_times_streaming

Ludek painted our basement in warm earthy tones on his fist day on unemployment due to the COVID-19 shutdown.

The COVID-19 Unemployment website is:

http://www.michigan.gov/uia

We will be making our own homemade hand sanitizer. Watch for recipe.