Letter to the editor

Citizens of Dodge County,
As I have had a few months to process my journey with Covid-19, I now realize how blessed I am to see a new year. For those who are unfamiliar with my medical journey, I was diagnosed with Covid-19 mid-late September and began the quarantine process immediately. During that time, my symptoms were controlled with medications at home. It wasn’t until my quarantine period was completed that my health quickly began to decline. Without any warning, I began to struggle to breathe, as well as, started running a fever in excess of 104 degrees. It was then that my wife, Cori Reddock Abney, and daughter, Ansley became so concerned that they took me to a Macon hospital ER for medical help. Here, I was diagnosed with Covid Pneumonia, placed on oxygen, and left in the emergency room lying flat on my back for 27 straight hours. Unfortunately, there were no rooms available and this particular ER was very short staffed so, it became apparent that I was not going to be receiving the level of care that I needed at that time. As a result, my wife returned to Macon and proceeded to take me home while seeking other options.
My wife, Cori, had consistently been requesting prayer from friends online when out of the blue, Miranda Bush, ER Director at Dodge County Hospital, reached out to her out of concern. She told my wife that if there was anything that she could do to help, she would be happy to do so. By the grace of God and with the help of Sandra Campbell, Chief Nursing Officer, as well as, Miranda Bush, they were able to see me in the Dodge County Hospital ER for an evaluation the very next morning. Within minutes of arriving, I was assessed, my lungs were scanned, and I was finally placed in ICU under the care of Dr. Lou Barker and Dr. Habigaile Cribe. This was just the beginning of a very intense battle to overcome this awful virus.
My stay at Dodge County Hospital involved two weeks in ICU, a few days on the Covid wing, and an additional week in a regular hospital room. Along the way, I had the privilege of developing relationships with many ICU nurses, floor nurses, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, CNA’s, cafeteria workers, custodial staff members, and last but not least, Dr. Barker and Dr. Cribe. The level of personalized care, professionalism, attention, love, and compassion shown to me throughout my stay was beyond comprehension. I will forever be grateful to each and every one of these individuals for helping save my life.
Dodge County, please do not ever take for granted the calibre of medical professionals and facilities that you have been blessed with in Eastman. From this point forward, Dodge County Hospital will be my family’s first choice for hospital care. Again, thank you to DCH from the bottom of my heart for caring for me during my darkest days. I wish you all a very Happy New Year filled with blessings and good health.
Sincerely,
Shayne Abney (Cochran, GA)