Health
53-Year-Old Health Care Worker from Michigan Dies Alone from Coronavirus
53-year-old Lisa Ewald, an ER nurse from Detroit, is one of the first Michigan health care workers who have died from COVID-19. She died alone at her home.
According to reports, Ewald was last heard from on Tuesday. She worked at Henry Ford Hospital.
“You always think that it can’t affect you to a degree. So this is making it real for me,” said her niece Carly Ewald. “It's nice to hear that she was so willing to be on the front lines, but it's also scary for those still on it.”
Ewald started having a high fever and cough at the end of March. According to Fox News, she lost her sense of smell and taste and had asthma.
Health Care Frontliner Casualty
Michigan ER nurse dies alone at home from coronavirus: reportshttps://t.co/WJd5MnPBH5
Words can’t adequately express our gratitude for the sacrifices that our medical front line “ troops” are making to assist all! This tragedy exemplifies this. We honor you & thank you all !— Joseph J Duggan (@mrjjd) April 5, 2020
Michigan Radio reported that Ewald told her neighbor, Alexis Fernandez, that she believed she was exposed to the virus. Ewald said she had likely gotten the virus last March 24th after interacting with a patient who later tested positive. According to Fernandez, Ewald tried to get tested herself, “but was told by her employer that she couldn’t get a test until she started showing symptoms,” reported Michigan Radio.
“The fact that they wouldn’t test her, she was back and forth [to the hospital twice] trying to get a test. She was sicker than a dog and it took forever to get the results,” Fernandez then continued.
“My husband and I were the ones who found her, along with one of the nurses at Henry Ford,” Fernandez mentioned. “We live next door to each other, we’ve been best friends for 20 years. And you know, I hate to pitch Henry Ford to the curb, but after reading [back] our text messages this morning, it was just handled so badly over there,” she also stated.
Wright Lassiter III, Henry Ford President and CEO said: “There are not adequate words to describe how saddened we are. Our hearts ache for our employee's family, friends, and colleagues.”
“As health care providers on the frontlines of this pandemic, we know we are not immune to its traumatic effects,” he then added.
Up Next: