ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH, La. — Nyoki Brown started feeling sick on March 18 and thought it was seasonal allergies until the fever started.
The closest hospital to her, where she believed they were conducting tests for COVID-19, was St. James Hospital in Lutcher. But when she got there, she was told that her symptoms were not severe enough to get a test because they were running low and had to save them for people who were having trouble breathing.
“In the midst of this, I was dealing with fever, cough, chills, stomach aches, diarrhea, extreme fatigue and weakness,” Brown recalled.
Her symptoms went from bad to worse, but doctors told her that aside from cough and sinus medication, there was nothing else they could do to help her.
“You literally are just praying. God, please save me. Don’t let this get worse. Don’t let me be one of the people who has to die alone in a room,” she said.
While she was holed up, life took strange and scary turns. Her two young sons were in the same house, but she was isolated from them in her bedroom. Her 8-year-old was left to run things.
“My 8-year-old was trying to figure out why he can’t come into my room, and I know he’s been watching TV and he’s really smart, so we would Facetime when I was feeling good so he wouldn’t be scared,” she said.
Doctors have told Brown that they ae positive that she has COVID-19, but she may never know with scientific certainty, because, like so many others, there were not enough tests to go around two weeks ago.
“I honestly felt like I didn’t think I would be sick. I felt like I was doing everything right. I stayed home, only went out a couple of times for essentials. So, I’m in shock. I don’t know where this came from or how I was exposed. That’s the only thing I can think of is maybe on one of my grocery store runs.”
Brown said that a kind nurse at St. James Hospital is the last human contact she has had and she would love to know who he is. If you know, she said she would love to contact them. You can message Reporter Katie Moore on Facebook or Katie C. Moore on Twitter.
Aside from the physical toll this disease is taking on people, one of its most cruel side effects is stripping away the ability of people to connect with one another.