You might be double vaxxed, but you're not completely safe from Covid. That's the message that's been preached throughout the pandemic to make sure that even the vaccinated keep their guard up.
But what's it like for those unlucky few, the vaxxed who still end up contracting and suffering through the worst symptoms of COVID-19? It's what you'd call a pro-vaxxers worst nightmare and it's just what happened to WAVE Radio media personality Hyacinth Latchman Cuellar.
She sat down, via zoom, with Cherisse Halsall this evening to share her story of resilience and survival. Here's more.
This is media personality Hyacinth Latchman Cuellar, she's being led by the hand because she's only just struggling to walk again after a terrible 10-day bout of COVID-19
Hyacinth Latchman Cuellar, Recovered from COVID
"Covid has different effects on different people and I've heard a lot of people say that it messes with your legs. I didn't know that but for me before reaching the legs, what was terrifying me was waking up in pampers and seeing that bag by your side and knowing that you had a catheter inside you, those are scary moments where you know you were a very active person and you run up steps. I lifted up my gown and I saw the pampers and I'm like why am I in pampers, you know, things like that really got to you."
The other thing that got to her, the inconclusive and erroneous results of her COVID tests.
Hyacinth Latchman Cuellar, Recovered from COVID
"The first was inconclusive, the rapid and the PCR was negative but for me, I am upset because I could have gone to work and gotten innocent people sick."
"They need to check those tests because I don't want what happened to me, I was told that had I waited one more day I would have died, literally that. I asked my doctor at what point I was seriously critical and he told me, Hyacinth from the day you came in until 7 days after you were still critical."
And once she had gotten over that, there was still the matter of regaining the mobility that 10 days of extreme dehydration had cost her. She says this is where her husband was her savior.
Hyacinth Latchman Cuellar, Recovered from COVID
"There were certain things he had to try and do with my feet by lifting them, making sure he didn't hurt me and these were things he had to do about three or four times for the day, so that took a little while."
"During this process he's telling me and I'm telling myself I need to get out of these pampers because I came home with pampers and for me to reach the bathroom to get out of the pampers, I really need to learn to walk."
But Hyacinth did learn to walk again, here she is hand in hand with her husband triumphantly walking down the steps.
And it's at that point that she surprises even the videographer, her young son, who asks her:
Voice of: Hyacinth's Son
"You sure you could walk by yourself."
Hyacinth replies:
"I'm trying."
Hyacinth is still recovering and says she won't be returning to work and normal life for yet another month.
