Items

• 
  2022-03-08

  Eddie Case on Anderson Cooper

  This link goes to an Anderson Cooper interview with Eddie Case, an Arizona man infected with Covid, placed on a ventilator and respirator then placed in a medically induced coma for 20 days. When he woke he had no idea why he was in the hospital. I met Eddie Case yesterday when he shared his COVID Story with me at the Arizona Historical Society's Marked by Covid memorial event. His story is in the archive as well. The interview originally aired on July 16, 2020.
• 
  2020-03-20

  Eddie Case Oral History, 2022/03/07

  [curator's note] I recorded this interview at the Arizona Historical Society's 2nd Annual Covid Memorial Event at the Arizona Heritage Center. Eddie spoke about his experience as one of the first cases of Covid in Arizona, and his illness and long recovery. He views his story as a blessing.
• 
  2020-06-04

  The Doctors and the Community

  I'm submitting a picture of doctors, including my uncle and members of the community gathered outside of the SUNY Downstate Medical Center University Hospital, to celebrate the discharge of a patient who beat Covid-19.
• 
  2021-04-07

  Indigenous Peoples and Vaccines

  “The coronavirus  (COVID-19)  pandemic  poses  a grave  health threat to Indigenous peoples around the world. Indigenous communities already experience poor access to healthcare, significantly higher rates of communicable and non-communicable diseases, lack of access to essential services, sanitation,  and  other key  preventive measures, such as  clean water, soap, disinfectant, etc.”
• 
  2020-01-04

  Battling COVID Before It Was "Mainstream"

  A few days after New Years 2020, I was working at RPM Italian as a polisher. The night was slightly busy but the night sky was cold. Being a polisher, my uniform would often get wet and seeing how part of my job was to throw out the linen bags, I would walk out into the cold with my wet uniform. The following days, I developed a cough and grew more persistent over time. At the time, I was prone to getting bronchitis because of an existing respiratory condition I have. I thought nothing of it and being a frequent news reader I was aware of a "pneumonia-like virus" breaking out in China, but I thought nothing of it. Over the next days, I realized that my apatite was lost and barely ate dinner because it felt that I had already eaten a large lunch. My wife chuckle and said it was probably my self-diagnosed lung infection. Thing is, I've had lung infections before and I NEVER lost my apatite. Around the same time, my father who rarely gets sick, came home from work early after getting a 103 f fever and was bedridden for three days. My little brother soon followed with my mom losing her sense of taste which she attributed to allergies or "the flu" as we thought my father and brother had. Then, on the day Kobe Bryant died, I developed a massive fever of 105 f and my coughing grew worse. I lost my apatite, I rarely slept, I had developed extreme body aches, felt chess pressure and often found myself grasping for air. My wife said that I may have developed pneumonia and I was reluctant to get it checked out because I had no insurance. Fearing for my health, I went to my healthcare provider Erie Health Center. There, I expected to be diagnosed with bronchitis, an upper respiratory tract infection or worst case scenario pneumonia. However, when the doctor saw my condition and heard my symptoms he said that it wasn't: pneumonia, bronchitis or a lung infection. Baffled I said then what do I have and he responded with: "mhmmmmm do you have asthma?" I said I did when I was younger but I out grew it. His response: "That's it. It's asthma". Unsatisfied, I said its not it because I haven't had any asthma complications in over a decade. He later said that a lung operation I had when I was three days old might be the culprit. Once again, I questioned it. He conceded and asked if I wanted to get x-rays done. I agreed and went to Northwestern Medical Center with Erie covering the costs. I got my x-rays done and I decided to go have lunch with my wife. Then, I started coughing, lost my apatite and developed a fever. We took an uber and went home were I collapsed on my bed and was knocked out cold in a nice sleep for 20 hours. The cough never went away until late February when talks of a potential lockdown to contain COVID was being discussed. I never thought much of what I had that winter until my mom got an anti-body test where she came out positive for the anti-bodies. The same day we watched a COVID special on Netflix and they highlighted the COVID symptoms. The ones that stuck out to me was: loss of apatite, chest pressure, fatigue, coughing, short-breaths, fever and trouble focusing. I clicked everything and realized: "Holy shit. I must've had COVID before it was cool" (ironically). Ever since my illness as I described, my mind has become more "foggy" with me having trouble focusing, remembering and even stuttering more often. Trouble focusing has been mentioned as a COVID complication in your post-battle with the infection. Fast forward to February 2021, I went back to Erie to get my yearly physical done expecting to hear my sugar levels were off the charts. Except, my doctor walked in and first thing he said was: "so you had problems breathing in last year January?" I gave him a stare and asked "you don't think that I had..." and he interrupted and said "sir, you either had COVID before we knew what it was or you had some exotic virus" mentioning the latter in a sarcastic tone. There I realized, how chill I took COVID and literally brushed it off multiple times as a lung infection and nothing serious when in reality it was. Had I known what I had was COVID at the time that I had it, I would have been panicking and picturing death at my door. Often, your mindset can be just as dangerous as the illness itself.
• 
  2021-04-07

  COVID-19 and the Brain

  COVID-19 has gone through a number of classifications. First as a “flu,” then as a “respiratory disease,” then as a “vascular disease,” and is in more recent studies, as a “brain disease.” Some reports are finding that one out of three COVID-19 survivors have mental health and/or neurological issues. This not only informs us of the complexity of COVID-19, but also brings light to the need to continue medical and psychological support of COVID survivors. Some survivors are described as having PTSD, and anxiety disorders are being diagnosed in a number of survivors. Neurologically, many survivors report “brain fog” and other issues. Another unexpected toll the virus takes on those infected.
• 
  2020-03

  Survivor Corps

  One of the more positive outcomes of COVID-19 has been the mobilization of people to support one another and help mitigate the spread of the virus. Survivor Corps, started by an early COVID-19 patient, is “a grassroots solution-based movement to mobilize the sharply increasing number of people affected by COVID-19 to come together, support and participate in the medical and scientific research community efforts and take a more active role in trying to mitigate this pandemic.” Organizations such as this demonstrate the best in people and our potential and desire to work toward the common goal of beating this virus.
• 
  2021-03-16

  Vaccines and Long Haulers

  When it comes to COVID-19, it seems there are more questions than answers. For some COVID-19 survivors, their COVID experience didn’t end after their infection ended. These people, referred to as “long haulers” have dealt with fatigue, brain fog, muscle aches, breathing difficulties, and insomnia. However, a surprising and potentially positive development has come out of the vaccine - long haulers symptoms are disappearing! Many patients struggling with long term COVID effects are reporting these effects disappearing after receiving their vaccination. Research, of course, needs to be conducted to pinpoint why, but this seems to be another light at the end of the tunnel for so many people who have struggling with long term COVID symptoms.
• 
  2021-04-04

  Three Essex survivors recount their experiences of COVID-19

  This BBC news story shares the story of three British COVID-19 survivors. All three were hospitalized and recount how weak and close to death they felt. One survivor states it has taken her six months to fully recover, while another continues to struggle with breathing and walking due to damage to his lungs. All three are grateful to have survived.
• 
  03/31/2021

  George Martinez Oral History, 2021/03/31

  This oral history is with 36 year old George Martinez, who identifies as male and American Mexican. He tested positive for COVID-19 in January 2021 and shared the physical and emotional impact of having COVID-19.
• 
  2021-03-29

  Nancy Martinez Oral History, 2021/03/29

  This oral history is with 35 year old Nancy Martinez, who identifies as female and Mexican. She tested positive for COVID-19 in January 2021 and shared the physical and emotional impact of having COVID-19.
• 
  2021-01-18

  Stories of Resilience

  As Covid-19 continues to rage and take lives, there are also the lucky ones that survive. This article shares the stories of 14 Covid-19 survivors. Though the people featured come from different age groups, races, socio-economic statuses, and geography, they all share the common experience of coming out on the other side of a lengthy hospital stay. The stories range from an infant who has spent most of his life in the hospital and has survived both a liver transplant and Covid-19, a woman who is now considered a “long hauler” with debilitating symptoms that plague her long after diagnosis, a nurse who caught the virus saying goodbye to own mother who was dying of Covid-19 and regrets nothing, a man who fought two weeks on a ventilator determined to live to see his daughter get married, and a couple who survived together and were able to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary. These stories remind us of the seriousness of Covid-19, as one survivor states "This is not a joke. This is for real. Take it seriously. It can happen to anybody." However, these stories also remind us of the tenacity of the human spirit, the skills of the medical staff, and the hope that is still alive within this pandemic year.
• 
  2020-11-09

  Elderly COVID-19 survivors with no home find warmth at Hyderabad hospital

  There are many older people who don't really have family connections in the world. It's interesting to see cases of people who were living in adult care facilities and contracted Covid. They end up in the hospital to be treated but then there is nowhere to send them after. It's interesting to see stories like this and I wonder how it will end for Ms. Nagendramma.
• 
  2020-08-15

  Jess with Covid

  It shows that COVID is real and that it is serious. My roommate was infected with the virus and she got really sick. In the picture she was on the bathroom floor and this is because she was very nauseous and if she wasn't in the bathroom, the whole apartment would've been a mess. We checked up on her constantly to ensure she was okay and we would cook for her. She had to quarantine in her room for 2 weeks since she moved in before us so we didn't have to quarantine as long as her but it was still not a fun time. She is seen smiling in the picture but that is just because we tried to lift up her spirits so she wasn't miserable the entire illness.
• 
  2020-03-27

  Potato Soup for the Soul

  90-year-old Geneva Wood overcame Covid-19 despite a serious diagnosis. In her own words, she describes feeling grateful to hold her kids and enjoy time with them. Geneva said that anytime she was ill, all she wanted was potato soup. Jonathan Vigliotti reports that, “She says she was only one bowl of potato soup away from this story being an obituary.” Geneva’s story demonstrates the power of family, home cooking, and the hope of healing.
• 
  05/08/2020

  Greta Oral History, 2020/05/08

• 
  2020-06-24

  Ann Wallace's First Person Account of Having COVID-19

  Ann Wallace, a college professor at Jersey City College, contracted COVID-19 and writes that, despite having a "mild case," she has yet to recover after several months. She discusses the stigma of contracting the virus, and the fact that people don't believe that she is still sick.
• 2020-05-13

  Trying to survive the COVID-19 pandemic

  A personal diary of a college student living during the COVID-19 pandemic Dougherty Family College, HIST 115
• 
  2020-04-14

  Domestic Violence Works From Home

  As the stay at home order across Illinois continues to extend as we reach the second month in quarantine, many have been trapped in unsafe situations with those they share a residence with. Domestic violence works from home, people have lost their small escape for the day. Neighborhoods in Chicago and across the city have been helping others get out of stressful situations by providing discreet messaging templates that often provide the survivor to offer their address so police could be called or for the survivor to be picked up. Recently, Chicago mayor, Lorilightfoot has also launched her plan to help by training local domestic violence hotline phone operators to give out promo codes so survivors can be driven to a safe location by a rideshare driver for free. #DePaulHST391
• 
  2020-03-26

  NYC Rabbi 'Romi' Cohn, a Holocaust survivor, dies of coronavirus complications at 91

  This article explains the life of Rabbi Romi Cohn and how much of a hero he was while he was on earth. He saved over 50 families from Holocaust, but died from Covid19. He was a hero and inspiration for many yet was affected by the virus. It is cool to see the country coming together and honoring him despite different beliefs.