KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Northland couple who recovered from the coronavirus is asking others to be cautious as the number of coronavirus cases in the Kansas City area continues to climb, including a record 706 new cases reported Friday.
Doctors also are expressing increasing concern over potential long-term effects of the virus.
Vicki Young and John Williams both tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a ski trip to Idaho earlier in the year.
Williams became so sick he had to go to the emergency room at North Kansas City Hospital and ended up spending 33 days in the Intensive Care Unit.
“The first couple of times the (doctors and nurses) told me he might not make it through the night ...,” Young said. “We just held onto a little bit of hope.”
Despite being so sick, Williams eventually got better and was discharged from the hospital, but he's facing new battles as he continues to recover in the aftermath from the virus.
“I am unsure of myself on my feet," he said. "I am still weak in my upper body as well as my lower body."
The long-term effects of COVID-19 remain largely unknown to doctors and researchers, because the virus is so new.
But it's clear some patients, like Williams, have endured a long road to recovery, including ongoing weakness and exhaustion. Other patients have reported more serious issues, such as heart inflammation, irregular heartbeats or worsening kidney and liver function.
“It’s always concerning while there is something new or different that there may be things we didn’t think about that will come up as a consequence later on in people’s lives, particularly a few years down the road," Dr. Colleen Buchinger, a hospitalist at North Kansas City Hospital, said.
Williams and Young hope their story will convince others to take social distancing seriously, wear a mask and understand how dangerous the virus can be.
“We don’t want to go back to where we were," Young said. "It was not a pleasant position to be in."
