Not Immune: A Doctor’s Family Battles COVID-19
by Dr. Beverly Sheppard
Through the end of July, nearly 120,000 doctors, nurses and other medical personnel had contracted the coronavirus in the U.S., the CDC reported; and at least 587 had died, according to a recent piece published in ProPublica.
“The loss of so many dedicated, deeply experienced professionals in such an urgent crisis is unfathomable,” ProPublica’s Nina Martin wrote in the article. “Every worker we’ve lost this year is one less person we have to take care of our loved ones.”
Health care workers and people in underserved communities make up a bulk of COVID-19’s casualties as we climb to more than 160,000 deaths and nearly five million cases of infections in the U.S. Like so many who work in the health care field and serve on the frontlines of this pandemic, I, too, contracted COVID-19. For my household, including my husband, daughters, and elderly mother — we were afraid. As a pediatrician who has practiced medicine in Jamaica Queens, New York for over 35 years, I am often exposed to children and parents who are sick. Of course, it’s not uncommon for me to become exposed to germs and get ill myself. But COVID-19 was unlike any previous illnesses. I had never felt this sick in my life.
In March, as the number of New Yorkers with COVID-19 increased at an alarming rate, I woke up with an extremely high fever. My joints hurt so badly it became painful to move. As news stations reported the spike in the infection rate, I suspected I might have gotten the virus based on my symptoms. Because of my age (over 60 years old) and my chronic illness, I immediately became concerned about how the virus could affect me. Two days later, one of my daughters — herself a health care worker — took me to receive an evaluation. Back in late March, testing was far more limited, and results took several days to receive. I was initially diagnosed with pneumonia, and one week later my COVID-19 test results came back positive, too. The next two weeks, battling both, were excruciating.
My fever remained relentlessly high for five days and, at one point, my daughter placed ice packs around my neck to try and bring my fever down. Even with all I knew as an experienced physician, I was frightened. I began to think about all the things I hadn’t finished and things that weren’t in order if I didn’t survive. I steadied myself for whatever was going to happen.
Because of the fever and pneumonia, my body was extremely weak. It took three weeks until I finally began feeling like my regular self again. Just as I began to get back to normal, my husband fell ill and tested positive, too. His symptoms were much worse than mine. In fact, they were so bad he almost had to be hospitalized. In fact, we later discovered that both of my daughters and my 95-year-old mother all tested positive for antibodies, indicating that they too were infected but never became seriously ill and were able to mount an immune response. Since then, everyone has fully recovered and my husband and I — especially — are grateful to have overcome such a dangerous virus.
While I feel blessed that my husband and I are healthy again, especially after being incapacitated for such an extended period of time, I sympathize with those battling COVID-19.
Given my firsthand experience with COVID-19, it is important to me that I help others with recovering and that I contribute to what we know about the virus. After talking with my family, doctor and colleagues, I decided the best, most immediate thing I could do to help was donate plasma, which has been shown to help improve the health of COVID-19 patients. On average, one plasma donation can help three patients.
In addition to donating my plasma, I’ve also returned to work. Never once did I question if I would continue to treat patients after being ill. As a lifelong pediatrician, I can’t imagine doing anything else. I love being a part of people’s families and helping children. With our ‘new normal,’ I am committed to taking all necessary precautions to keep myself and others safe because ensuring the health and safety of our community’s children has always been my motivation and top priority.
More than ever, it’s important for all of us as New Yorkers — and a nation — to support each other. This is truly the only way we will overcome this virus and become stronger as a society.
Dr. Beverly Sheppard is the Chair of the Pediatrics Department at AdvantageCare Physicians (ACPNY), part of the EmblemHealth Family of Companies, and one of the largest primary and specialty care practices in the New York area.
