I watched three people die, says recovering COVID patient

Twenty-six-year-old Rejeen Morrison was admitted in hospital on March 11 for diabetic ketoacidosis, a complication associated with lupus.

Morrison has several comorbidities, including trigeminal neuralgia, idiopathic autoimmune hepatitis, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, atonic seizures, steroid-induced diabetes and hypertension.

In an unexpected turn of events, she got another battle to fight on March 23.

While in hospital, the Kingston woman developed a cough and was experiencing tiredness, both of which were common symptoms of COVID-19.

The doctors decided to test her for the virus before she had surgery to cut and drain an abscess on her thigh.

She was more worried than shocked when she learnt that she was infected with COVID-19.

Her initial thought was “This is it.”

“I have been in and out of hospital many times, but to be also fighting COVID-19 wasn’t on the agenda,” she told The Gleaner in an interview on Tuesday.

Routine checks of her vital signs by nurses one morning revealed that her blood oxygen level was low and she had to be put on oxygen.

“I started to wheeze more in the evenings and nights, and then the fevers and chills came soon after,” she detailed.

The COVID-19 experience was agonising.

Morrison was fixated on catching her breath and trying to not listen to the people around her.

She is yet to fully process the deaths that took place around her as she battled the virus for 19 days.

“I had a nervous breakdown twice while on the COVID ward and they had to have psychologists call me on my phone, as they were not able to enter the ward. There were no partitions, so I literally watched three different people die,” she recalled.

Sleeping pills were prescribed when she was released from the ward, as every time she attempted to rest, the image of a patient whose bed was across from hers was foremost in her mind.

She often saw him grabbing at his chest, trying to get air, and recalled that when he was dying, he removed his oxygen mask in desperation.

“It is an image I desperately want to rid myself of and I cannot,” she said.

Not being allowed visitors made video calls with her daughter, family and friends more meaningful, as it was the means by which she had a glimpse of the outside.

She felt imprisoned, but was grateful that her bed was close to the corridor, as when her mother or partner came to the hospital to drop off supplies, she had the opportunity to wave to them.

Morrison was on edge during her time on the COVID-19 ward.

“Each time someone died, someone my age, younger than I am, older than I am, I’d think maybe I’m next. I remember getting a fever and the doctors coming to my bedside. That entire day, I wrestled with my subconscious if I was alive or not,” she recounted.

Shortness of breath is one of the long-haul COVID-19 symptoms she continues to battle.

“I have shortness of breath doing the simplest of tasks. I can’t go from point A to B without getting winded,” she pointed out.

Morrison spent a total of nine weeks in hospital, the latter period recovering from surgery.

She took the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on August 3 and is eagerly awaiting the final dose.

The COVID-19 survivor is appealing to Jamaicans to take personal responsibility and get vaccinated to reduce the spread of, and mortality rate from, the virus.

“I have numerous illnesses. I should’ve been scared to take the vaccine, but because of what I went through on the ward, the people I heard gasping for air and begging God to take them, I took the vaccine. If this is how I can play my part in getting Jamaica back to normal, then I will,” she told The Gleaner.

Though Morrison was released from hospital on April 27, the nine-inch wound on her thigh has to be dressed daily and she is in need of financial assistance to fund a skin graft surgery and other medical expenses.

She had to leave her job as a marketer when she fell ill in 2018 and relies on her skill as a make-up artist, when her body permits her.

Morrison is hoping that her battle with COVID-19 will encourage Jamaicans to follow the protocols and vaccinate, to reduce the possibility of hospitalisation.

She has created a GoFundMe page for persons willing to assist her with her medical expenses. If you are able to, visit https://ie.gofundme.com/f/trje83-rjs-leg-surgery to make a donation.

judana.murphy@gleanerjm.com