“Being 92 years old I believe I survived this virus because it's God's will.”

This is part of a series on Grace Heights Health and Rehabilitation — which had over 40 residents and 35 staff members test positive for COVID. 

MORGANTON, NC: I was born and raised in Kansas. I met my husband while he was serving on an airbase in Harrington. We got married while he was stationed there. I was a taxidermist until 1991 and then finally retired here in Morganton. I’ve just been living a quiet life after that. My husband died in 2010. We had a big house which was just too much for me to take care of so I moved to a smaller house that my son bought back from his father in law. My husband's cockapoo, Brown Eyes, kept me company. I was there for three years when one day I happened to fall and break my hip and ended up here for rehab. At that time Brown Eyes had already died. I essentially couldn't do anything for myself anymore. My daughter got me situated here in 2016 and I have been here ever since. 

Hearing about COVID in other countries, I thought it was just terrible and hoped that it wouldn't come here to the United States, but it just kept creeping in one person after another. Now it just keeps getting more and more which isn't good.

When this virus hit me, I was really surprised. They had to move us into isolation departments. I wasn't happy about that. Isolation was the worst because I couldn't see my kids in person. They could come to the window and talk or we talked through our phones. It's not like touching them. 

I don't remember having really bad symptoms. I really didn't think I was sick. I just didn't feel the best. I don’t have that much taste and smell right now anyway so it is difficult to tell whether I lost that or not. 

My roommate had tested positive for the virus too and I was really unhappy about that too because I didn't want her to be sick as well. She didn't show any more symptoms than I did. 

 I wasn't that sick. I just wasn't feeling the best. 

And then finally came the day that we tested negative. I think I had a mild case of it, which made it a lot easier. When I survived, they took me outside and gave me a big bouquet of flowers with reporters and TV. I made the front page of the paper. My niece in Colorado said that I was an inspiration to them.

We still have to stay more or less in our rooms and wear masks when we go out into the hallways.  We also can't go out into the courtyard and get some fresh air when we feel like it. But, the staff here at Grace Heights have taken good care of us. I definitely appreciate everything they've done for us here. 

I wasn't scared! Your faith in God helps you out a whole lot in all this. We just have to keep our faith and hope God ends this horrible virus.

Being 92 years old I believe I survived this virus because it's God's will.