By Kendall Patterson
Chester County’s own Todd Lewis was able to return home the morning of Thursday, April 2, after fighting for his life against COVID-19 for a few weeks.
He is still recovering, but he is gaining back much of the energy that he had lost.
“Just getting a little stronger each day,” he said. “It’s just… after being in a hospital for 14 days, it’s just getting your strength and your energy back. So that’s the hardest thing. I lost 20 pounds. So not really the way you want to do it. It’s just getting all that; getting that strength and energy back.
One of the toughest parts his recovery is when he just got off the ventilator.
“It was almost like learning to walk again, you know, because you’ve been on a ventilator for seven days and you had no balance and had to start off with a walker and all that kind of stuff. So, yeah, it was rough,” he said.
“I’ve been trying to walk around here at home and do a little bit more each day just to get back to things and stuff. So, it’s all you can do.”
Being isolated and quarantined for so longer was unpleasant for him as he was apart from his family.
“If it’s not for FaceTime, I just have to talk to them on the phone. It’s been so miserable just not being able to see them, not being able to have them there with me. You feel alone, because all you’re seeing is doctors and nurses all day long.”
Lewis was on emotional overload once he saw the amount of love, thoughts and prayers his family, church, students and others shown for him as he was in the hospital.
“Facebook messages, people posting on Facebook, my church family, praying for me, the people in this community… It’s just so completely overwhelming… I’m from a big town and I can live in a big or small town, but that just showed you this: how a small town comes together to help somebody. The love and support of this community and everybody and my church family it’s just overwhelming. I just thank the people of Chester County and here in Henderson, because they just mean a whole lot to our family,” he said.
“I’m not going to be able to ever thank everybody enough or do enough to thank everybody for everything that they did. It just… it really, got to my heart. Especially when I saw the video that those kids had made for me, my EVN (Eagle Vision Network) kids, that really got to me.”
His gratitude continues to stretch to all the nurses and doctors that cared for him and that continue to care for others as well. “The doctors and the nurses at the hospital, they’re putting their lives and their family’s lives at risk every single day for people that have this virus, and I can’t, I can’t keep them in my prayers enough and thank them enough for what they did. I would love to see all of them and say thanks to them.”
Though the virus causes so much turmoil, Lewis said it does make one appreciate things in life more. “I told my wife the other night I obviously enjoyed sitting on the porch watching my boys play. They were arguing the other day, and I know I get mad about it sometimes, but I’m just glad to be here… glad to see them. I would rather see them arguing you know, then not. You know, and everything,” he said. “You appreciate a whole lot more. It gives you more of appreciation for a lot of different things.
Through it all, Lewis just wants everyone to know that the Coronavirus is no joke and something you shouldn’t take lightly. He advises the community to take it seriously.
“It can happen to anybody. I’m a germaphobe, and that’s what can happen to germaphobe me. It can happen to anybody… Stay home. Don’t take a chance. Stay home.”
