I'm taking COVID-19 seriously now, Cassville resident says
June 24, 2020
Sheila Harris
Forty-year-old J.D. Hunter, of Cassville, is now a believer.
A couple of weeks ago, after spending the day working outdoors in high temperatures – a regular occurrence in his logging business – he chalked up symptoms of an illness that developed later that night to those of a heatstroke. The symptoms were severe enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room, where he was told that a heat stroke was the probable cause.
A couple of days later, when his symptoms hadn’t improved, but became worse – with new ones developing every day - he decided a trip to the doctor was in order. There, it was recommended that he have a COVID-19 test. A rapid-response test was performed the same day by the Barry County Health Department. The results were positive.
“I knew something was wrong,” Hunter said. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”
After the positive test result, Hunter’s symptoms grew progressively worse, until, four days later, in order to breathe, he had to lie down on his bed with pillows under his stomach with his head hanging over the edge of the bed. He maintained that position, struggling for his breath, for an entire day, he said. The next morning, he was able to breathe a little more easily.
“One more day, and I would have gone to the hospital,” he said. “I wasn’t over the virus yet, though, not by a long shot. Regaining my ability to breathe normally has been a gradual process; For a while, I couldn’t talk on the telephone, or carry on any kind of conversation without running out of air.
“It’s a cardio thing,” he continued, “it's wiped me out. I’ve always been a cardio-workout guy, so I was in pretty good shape before I got sick. That’s what’s strange about this virus.
“I’m not contagious anymore,” Hunter said, "but it will take a while to get my strength back.”
Hunter does not smoke, although he admits to maybe being 15 to 20 pounds overweight.
“I can’t imagine how a smoker could survive the ordeal I’ve been through,” he said.
“This virus caught me by surprise,” he added. “It’s weird stuff. I want to share my story for exactly that reason. COVID-19 doesn’t affect everyone the same way. My entire household contracted the virus from me, including my wife, my four children and my little granddaughter. They all tested positive, but the kids had no symptoms whatsoever. The only symptom my wife experienced was a loss of her sense of smell. We all quarantined together in the house for the full 14 days.
“I’m taking COVID-19 seriously now,” he said. “The CDC recommendations for social-distancing and wearing masks are right. If I had been wearing a mask when I bid on a job for a gentleman from northwest Arkansas who later informed me that he had tested positive, I might not have contracted the illness. But I got sick within three days or less of being near him. The problem with COVID-19 is people are contagious before they even begin displaying symptoms - if they display any at all. Before I knew I was sick, I held my little granddaughter on my lap and she caught the virus from me. Others who were in the vicinity, but were six feet away, did not.
“I think about my 65-year-old dad, who’s smoked all his life – and still does - and it terrifies me to think about him contracting COVID,” he continued. “I don’t think he’d survive it.”
Thankfully, Hunter is past the worst of the virus, but it’s changed his perspective.
“If someone I loved – if my little granddaughter - had struggled with the virus like I have, I could never forgive myself,” he said.
Sheila Harris
Forty-year-old J.D. Hunter, of Cassville, is now a believer.
A couple of weeks ago, after spending the day working outdoors in high temperatures – a regular occurrence in his logging business – he chalked up symptoms of an illness that developed later that night to those of a heatstroke. The symptoms were severe enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room, where he was told that a heat stroke was the probable cause.
A couple of days later, when his symptoms hadn’t improved, but became worse – with new ones developing every day - he decided a trip to the doctor was in order. There, it was recommended that he have a COVID-19 test. A rapid-response test was performed the same day by the Barry County Health Department. The results were positive.
“I knew something was wrong,” Hunter said. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”
After the positive test result, Hunter’s symptoms grew progressively worse, until, four days later, in order to breathe, he had to lie down on his bed with pillows under his stomach with his head hanging over the edge of the bed. He maintained that position, struggling for his breath, for an entire day, he said. The next morning, he was able to breathe a little more easily.
“One more day, and I would have gone to the hospital,” he said. “I wasn’t over the virus yet, though, not by a long shot. Regaining my ability to breathe normally has been a gradual process; For a while, I couldn’t talk on the telephone, or carry on any kind of conversation without running out of air.
“It’s a cardio thing,” he continued, “it's wiped me out. I’ve always been a cardio-workout guy, so I was in pretty good shape before I got sick. That’s what’s strange about this virus.
“I’m not contagious anymore,” Hunter said, "but it will take a while to get my strength back.”
Hunter does not smoke, although he admits to maybe being 15 to 20 pounds overweight.
“I can’t imagine how a smoker could survive the ordeal I’ve been through,” he said.
“This virus caught me by surprise,” he added. “It’s weird stuff. I want to share my story for exactly that reason. COVID-19 doesn’t affect everyone the same way. My entire household contracted the virus from me, including my wife, my four children and my little granddaughter. They all tested positive, but the kids had no symptoms whatsoever. The only symptom my wife experienced was a loss of her sense of smell. We all quarantined together in the house for the full 14 days.
“I’m taking COVID-19 seriously now,” he said. “The CDC recommendations for social-distancing and wearing masks are right. If I had been wearing a mask when I bid on a job for a gentleman from northwest Arkansas who later informed me that he had tested positive, I might not have contracted the illness. But I got sick within three days or less of being near him. The problem with COVID-19 is people are contagious before they even begin displaying symptoms - if they display any at all. Before I knew I was sick, I held my little granddaughter on my lap and she caught the virus from me. Others who were in the vicinity, but were six feet away, did not.
“I think about my 65-year-old dad, who’s smoked all his life – and still does - and it terrifies me to think about him contracting COVID,” he continued. “I don’t think he’d survive it.”
Thankfully, Hunter is past the worst of the virus, but it’s changed his perspective.
“If someone I loved – if my little granddaughter - had struggled with the virus like I have, I could never forgive myself,” he said.
