The Struggle Of A 90-Year-Old Grandmother Who Was Successfully Recovering From COVID-19

JAKARTA - The corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) or the COVID-19 disease is not always scary. The world health organization (WHO) even said that the majority of COVID-19 patients can recover from this disease.

One of them is Geneva Wood, a 90-year-old grandmother from Washington, United States (US) who managed to fully recover from the corona virus. He even became one of the oldest patients who could fight this disease to recover.

"I beat the coronavirus," Geneva Wood, from Kirkland, Washington, told Good Morning America (GMA). "I have a lot to live for, and God gave me to do it," he said.

As quoted from ABC News, Wood is an old grandmother with 11 grandchildren and 15 great-grandparents, who lives alone in an apartment, in the Washington DC area. He has also suffered a stroke since the beginning of 2020 which made it difficult for him to walk and speak.

Later, Washington was included in one of the areas affected by the COVID-19 corona virus outbreak. There are 60 cases of death from the COVID-19 corona virus in Washington, and there are at least 35 cases related to the elderly.

No exception for Wood, who began to show symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath. He also had to undergo medical treatment at Harboview Medical Center because he showed symptoms of being infected with the COVID-19 corona virus.

"With just a stroke he has lost all ability to take care of himself," said Wood's daughter, Cami Neidigh, still told GMA. "Then then we got the news [Wood has COVID-19] and it was like 'are you kidding me?'"

Wood's relatives and children cannot do much about the condition of the disease. Because Wood is included in the group of patients most susceptible to being infected with COVID-19 and already has many diseases of the disease.

Exactly on March 10 Wood must be completely isolated and without any outside interaction. "He was crying and trying to reach us through the window," said Neidigh.

The medical staff also allowed the family to enter after Wood was seen crying and needed his child's support. The family enters the wood isolation room wearing complete protective clothing to say goodbye.

"At that time we were one of the lucky families to be allowed to wear special clothes and leave one by one so they could hold her hand, but we couldn't hug her, and she could talk to us then," Neidigh said.

Despite being completely isolated, over the past few weeks the family has continued to visit the health facility where the mother is being treated. "We felt he knew someone was in the waiting room so we stayed there all day," Neidigh said.

Neidigh and her siblings regularly bring Wood's favorite potato soup. They ended up stocking the potato soup in the hospital refrigerator, so that if Wood's grandmother wanted it, it could be reheated immediately by the nurses.

Not a few think that the opportunity to live for Grandma Wood is very small. Moreover, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have repeatedly warned that elderly people, especially those aged 65 years and over, have weak immune systems and are very at risk if infected with the corona virus.

But the reality is really surprising, after undergoing a series of medical tests for several weeks of treatment. Grandma Wook was declared cured and free from the corona virus.

"They called and said we could come and hug him," said Neidigh. "She (Wood's grandmother) gave me the longest and toughest hug I've ever felt in my life."

After being declared free of COVID-19, Wood's grandmother still has to go through a period of recovery and undergo self-quarantine with her family at home. The story of Wood's grandmother is a positive value, if there are many patients exposed to the Corona Virus who are declared cured.

"Right now he just wants to send a positive message to people who are fighting the coronavirus. Don't give up, there is still someone out there to fight for," concluded Neidigh.