Read part one of Cole’s story here.
“We had our entire world shaken up back in February. Since then, we’ve just tried to get our life back in order.
My wife, a nurse, had a sever reaction to medication she was prescribed. She ended up going into anaphylactic shock. She also ended up with Steven Johnson’s sydnrome, as well as came down with DRESS syndrome. Ashley was in the ICU for 4 days. She almost died twice. We were at the point of deciding whether or not to intubate her.
It turned my world upside down. The fear of losing my wife. Having her mother fly in, if for no other reason than to comfort my wife.
It was hell for us. I personally was a mess. Once she started to recover, we knew it was a slow process from here. She was neutropenic, meaning her white blood cell count was so low that coming into contact with anyone who had a common cold could kill her. He count was 0.92. Normally, it should be between 5-10. Her platelets count was 19, meaning her body wouldn’t be able to clot normally and she was at risk for bleeding. A normal count is between 170-370.
She received multiple transfusions to increase her counts. It was an uphill battle. We found out later that it was a serious sickness from the sulfa medication Bactrim. It was killing her from the inside. Shutting down her kidney’s and liver. Affecting her lungs and heart.
Since then, we have taken precautions to keep her safe and healthy. But as she got better, the world got worse. COVID reared its ugly head.
Now, my wife is not healed 100%. Yet day in and day out, she is taking care of COVID positive patients. Knowing that she still is not healed, she takes care of those that need healing. It’s her calling.
I am still standing by her side as I said I would, long before this pandemic started. I still work full time and now home school our 4 kids. Juggling a chainsaw, an apple, and a bowling pin that’s on fire. It’s a helluva life. But it’s ours.
I’m standing by my hero. Although she does not wear a cape, she wears scrubs. I love my nurse and could not be more proud.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Cole George. Submit your own story here and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
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