'It Hurt To Touch Our Hair': Hastings Couple Recounts Painful Battle With COVID-19
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A once-healthy Hastings couple has been fighting the aggressive coronavirus for more than a month.
"I would never wish this on anyone," Karen Rabe Shmidt said.
For Minnesota residents Karen and Mike, March started in pure relaxation in Florida. But after they flew home, unrest unraveled.
"It hurt, every part of our bodies hurt," she said.
The pain started not long after their flight home in mid-March. Karen thought she had a respiratory infection -- got a Z-pack and was told to quarantine, but no COVID-19 tests were available.
And then Mike got sick -- very sick. Karen took him to the emergency room. He now says it was unlike anything he's ever felt.
"I got to a point when I was at United where to be honest with you, I didn't care if I lived or died," he said.
A few days later, Karen was admitted, too after collapsing on her floor.
"The hurt, the exhaustion that I felt, it was so overwhelming, it hurt to touch our hair," Karen said.
Both tested positive for COVID-19. They had to lie on their stomachs for airflow, they say nurses were helpful but had to limit check-ins as they were both in isolation.
"I remember thinking 'Mike and I have so much to do in this life and please don't let me die here, please don't let me be alone,'" Karen said.
As they lied in pain, nurses provided them the best medicine, pushing their beds together once a day.
"Even if it was just to look into each other's eyes and hold each others hands," Mike said.
Now, they do have things to do. They are both home after 10 days in the hospital. Karen is still on oxygen, and they've both had mobility and memory challenges. They hope those effects are temporary, but they know their lives are permanently changed.
"Life is really short and we both realized that," Karen said.
Although the couple both had COVID-19, they had different symptoms. Karen had a cough and hallucinations, Mike's sense of taste and smell changed but he didn't have a cough. Both say the worst part was how hard it was to breathe.
