Lower Mainland resident Cathy Gibbs wasn鈥檛 feeling well, but she didn鈥檛 think it was anything too serious.
She鈥檇 recently been to dinner at the house of a neighbour who was part of her 鈥渂ubble鈥� 鈥� a limited number of people she didn鈥檛 have to be socially distant with during the current coronavirus pandemic.
鈥淎ll of a sudden, after dinner, she [the neighbour] got unwell,鈥� Gibbs described.
Shortly after that, the neighbour phoned Gibbs.
鈥淪he said she had been exposed to COVID and now I had, too,鈥� Gibbs recalled.
鈥淲e were responsible and it still got us.鈥�
The Langley City woman decided to self-isolate at home.
She developed a persistent cough.
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鈥淚 just kept getting sicker and sicker,鈥� Gibbs recalled, but she didn鈥檛 think it was too serious.
But her daughter, Tammy, could hear the difference in her mother鈥檚 voice when they spoke on the phone.
Tammy, who lives in Edmonton, phoned the local ambulance service.
鈥淪omeone鈥檚 got to check on my mom,鈥� Tammy said.
When Tammy explained her mom wasn鈥檛 in Edmonton, but in B.C., the Alberta paramedics connected with their B.C. counterparts, and an ambulance team arrived at Gibb鈥檚 door to check her health.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I found out I have pneumonia [caused by COVID-19],鈥� Gibbs recalled.
鈥淚 just didn鈥檛 realize I was as sick as I was.鈥�
A nurse at hospital later told Gibbs she was lucky that her daughter called when she did.
After about a day and a half at Langley Memorial Hospital, Gibbs was transferred to Surrey Memorial Hospital (SMH).
Gibbs recalls the paramedics applying defibrillator pads to her chest for the trip, in case she suffered a heart attack en route, and how they drove with sirens on the whole way.
鈥淭hey weren鈥檛 taking any chances, that鈥檚 for sure,鈥� Gibbs commented.
She is full of praise for the paramedics and medical staff at both hospitals.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 say enough.鈥�
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At 72, Gibbs was enjoying an active retirement after several years as Langley MLA Mary Polak鈥檚 constituency assistant, as well as Polak鈥檚 predecessor, Lynn Stephens.
On the one-year anniversary of her retirement, on Monday, Aug. 31, Gibbs was at SMH, hooked up to oxygen and a blood pressure monitor, and several other medical devices 鈥� unable to get out of bed without assistance.
To help her lungs recover, 鈥淚 have to lay on my stomach for two hours a day,鈥� she told the Langley Advance Times during a telephone interview from her ICU room at SMH. She鈥檚 one of the 10 in B.C. who top doc Dr. Bonnie Henry has listed in ICU with COVID this week.
Gibbs isn鈥檛 sure when she will be coming home.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 too early to say.鈥�
She said medical staff seemed happy with her progress to date.
鈥淚鈥檓 actually doing pretty well,鈥� Gibbs said. 鈥淚 can actually sit up in a chair. My energy is coming back and the COVID 鈥榝og鈥� has lifted.鈥�
Gibbs鈥� advice to people who doubt the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic; 鈥渋t is real鈥� and even in a small bubble, it is possible to be exposed.
She posted a message online to say she hopes young people are getting the message.
鈥淚 know that this virus has affected your life, it鈥檚 affected everyone,鈥� her Facebook posting read.
鈥淵ou can be grateful that you won鈥檛 get as sick as I did, if you get it. I know you are young and you want to live you life, I get that. I am old, but that doesn鈥檛 mean that I want to die, do YOU get that?鈥�
Since she posted to Facebook about her trip to the ICU, dozens of people have flooded her page with messages backing her fight to recover.
鈥淚 am so overwhelmed with the show of support I can鈥檛 even find the words,鈥� Gibbs posted.
鈥淭hank you hardly seems enough, but that鈥檚 what I have. Thank you and love you all.鈥�
dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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