'The virus stole my husband': the story of a family of Russian-speaking immigrants infected with the coronavirus

The coronavirus pandemic, especially violently raging on the East Coast of the United States, turned out to be a real tragedy for the family from Anna and Grigory Nayfeld from New Jersey. They both contracted a new virus. At the moment, Anna is recovering, while Gregory could not be saved.

Anna and Gregory. Photo from the archive of Anna Nayfeld

Development of the disease

“My husband was 70 years old, he did not have any chronic illnesses and health problems, moreover, he always carefully watched him. However, he could not comply with quarantine - as an IT specialist, Grisha worked for a company that fulfills military orders, and for this reason did not allow employees to work remotely. The last day of his work was Friday, March 13th. On Saturday, he felt good. Signs of a mild runny nose appeared only on the evening of Sunday, the 15th. Then the temperature rose to 37 degrees, ”Anna recalls.

The next day, March 16, it seemed to Gregory that the malaise had finally passed, and he was about to go back to work. However, Anna, sensing something, dissuaded her husband - as it turned out, on time, as the ailment resumed. By evening, Gregory’s temperature rose again, chills appeared.

“On Tuesday, 17, we called the attending physician Grigory, and she prescribed some antibiotics against the flu, including me, because my temperature also began to rise. The pharmacy delivered them to us, and we began to be treated at home. The next day, on Wednesday, Grisha began to have severe chills. In addition to antibiotics, we were treated with vitamins and “folk remedies”: honey, lemon, rosehip tincture. Its temperature then rose, then fell again. I also had a fever, but against the background of my husband's condition, I practically did not pay attention to myself. I don’t even remember now how bad I felt, the main thing was only concern for Grisha, ”says Anna.

Happy family of Anna before the pandemic. Photo from the archive of Anna Nayfeld

Unexpected crisis

A sharp deterioration in the state of Gregory occurred on Friday, March 20. That day, as usual, he was sitting at the computer, then got up and went to the stairs to meet Anna, when he suddenly sat on the floor. Anna rushed to her husband, helped him up, began to “solder” tea, Gregory accepted “Tylenol”.

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“He lay down, after a while he measured the temperature, and it turned out to be unusually low - 35,5 - given that the night before it reached 39,3. Grisha was shaking, it was a real fever - he could not warm himself even under three downy duvets. Then the cough started and I called an ambulance, ”says Anna Nayfeld.

Doctors left Gregory in the hospital, while Anna was sent home. Her coronavirus test was not taken that day. The very next day, Gregory was transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) and connected to an artificial respiration apparatus.

“The night before, both I and the children were talking to him. However, on Saturday, they called me from the hospital and said that his oxygen level was low, and therefore mechanical ventilation was needed. I tried to find out the details, find a doctor and its coordinates. I did not succeed - perhaps because it was a weekend. True, then the nurses and nurses called me back. They reported that, despite the fact that Grisha is on mechanical ventilation, all his organs are working properly. However, in the following days, they informed me that he started having kidney problems and other difficulties, ”says Anna Nayfeld.

Anna and Gregory are resting. Photo from the archive of Anna Nayfeld

Meanwhile, Anna’s condition was rapidly deteriorating. Along with the temperature, she began to have severe pain in the abdominal cavity. On Monday, March 23, she received a call from the hospital and was informed that her husband confirmed the coronavirus.

“It was not possible to save your father”

“I had a temperature of 38,5, and the children insisted that I also go to the hospital. We called an ambulance, and the paramedic who came directly said to my son: “I would not recommend your mother to go to the hospital, because if she does not have a coronavirus, she will pick him up with a high probability.” He added that personnel are instructed in the hospital to warn people about such consequences. It seemed that this person did not know what to do at all, ”says Anna. - Nevertheless, my son, Alexander, was very worried about me, given my age (65 years) and high temperature. He called the COVID-19 hotline to the hospital where my husband was lying, but no one was able to intelligibly answer him whether it makes sense to take me to the hospital. The hotline man explained that he was not a professional physician. After consulting with the older sisters, my son nevertheless brought me to the hospital. "

“There, the pain in the stomach became already completely unbearable. I was kept in the hospital until the morning, they gave me an anesthetic injection that lasted for half an hour, found pneumonia, prescribed antibiotics based on hydroxychloroquine and let me go home, warning that it was more dangerous for me to stay there than at home. The coronavirus test was never taken from me, saying that they lacked testing equipment. Antibiotics, by the way, I could not drink because of the increasing pain. My son literally left me with vitamins and fresh juices. I’m feeling better now, ”she says.

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Meanwhile, Gregory remained in the hospital, and his affairs were getting worse.

“On March 28, around 12 at night, my son called the hospital to find out about his father’s condition. They didn't answer him for a long time. Then they told him that they were trying to resuscitate his father. Sasha began to beg: “Please don’t give up, save him!” He called back 10 minutes later and was told: “Sorry, unfortunately your father just passed away. The heart stopped and we were unable to restore the pulse,” said Anna.

Photo from the archive of Anna Nayfeld

“Now it’s hard to say what exactly caused the death. I talked with many doctors, and some of them recommended and insisted that, for example, Gregory be injected with vitamin C. They sent the recommended treatment protocols, but some of their components were not yet included in the protocols of the local hospital, although I tried to advise their doctors . I know that in the hospital he was given the hydroxychloroquine recommended by Trump. Doctors also said that some other infection was the cause of death - perhaps it was accidentally brought directly to the hospital. In any case, I do not blame the doctors - for sure in such a situation they try to do everything they can. And yet, given the congestion of hospitals and the lack of medicines and equipment, I would recommend that anyone who is not in critical condition try to recover at home, ”Anna concludes.

According to her, the company in which her husband worked, nevertheless transferred employees to remote work, which, of course, could save several lives. Anna, meanwhile, is recovering, trying at the same time, with the help of her son, to cope with the disease and survive her enormous loss.

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