A Screen Worthy Victory ”Code Rocky” Patient Lisa Fernandez Perseveres Through COVID-19 Diagnosis
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fter Lisa Fernandez started feeling a little achy in late March, she chalked it up to lupus, with which she was diagnosed in 2018. Later, when she developed a scratchy throat, she figured the pollen was triggering her allergies.
Once inside, she was given a COVID-19 test, which came back positive. The next day, officials showed her how to use an Incentive Spirometer, a handheld respiratory tool that measures how much air volume the lungs can hold.
After the chest tightness and breathing trouble started, she assumed it was a recurrence of bronchitis. Fernandez was also stressed about a family member’s health condition, so she assumed the combination of factors was causing her to feel bad.
Based on how she felt, Fernandez suspected she’d be put on a ventilator, so she communicated with her family via FaceTime and recorded phone messages while she still had the ability.
On March 26, she described her symptoms to her pulmonologist, who called in a prescription. Two days later she contacted him again and he increased her dosage. When Fernandez contacted him on March 31 — the third time in five days — he advised her to go to an ER or urgent care. Fernandez went to urgent care, where a chest Xray revealed double pneumonia. The doctor informed her that her pulmonologist had been notified. “I’ve called REX’s ER and made an appointment,” the doctor told Fernandez. ”They know you’re coming.” At UNC REX, officials verified Fernandez’s ID and instructed her sons Alex, 23, and Jason, 19, to remain in the car. The only belongings she was allowed to bring inside were a credit card, an insurance card, her ID and her cell phone. As Fernandez was being wheeled into the hospital, the 53-year-old married mother of two had no idea her life was about to permanently change.
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“I told my sons if I didn’t make it I’d be there as an angel on their shoulders when they get married,” Fernandez recalls. “I encouraged them to go after their passions. I got to record only a half message to my husband Frank before it was time for them to intubate me.” Ultimately, Fernandez was in a coma 21 days and spent 55 days total at UNC REX. Registered Nurse Tommy Fayet and Speech Therapist Charity Lovette were among her primary caregivers during her stay. “Lisa is an educated woman, she asked appropriate health-related questions and understood that her condition wasn’t ideal,” Fayet says. “I noticed her anxiety, so we talked about our families so I could keep her mind off things. During her recovery from her intubation she needed to understand that it would be a slow process, but she was so motivated to move forward that she’d get frustrated and needed to be reminded about how she was on death’s doorstep and how far she’d already come.” After Fernandez’s cognitive and communication abilities were assessed,
Fernandez’s husband, Frank, illustrated a special thank you to her care team – all heroes to the Fernandez family.
Lovette and Beth Cormell, UNC REX’s primary COVID-19 speech pathologists, worked with her while she was in ICU and ventilator dependent. “Lisa was vented and they also placed a tracheostomy tube which gave her the ability to voice, and that’s when we really started to delve into her communication, voice and swallow function,” Lovette says. “She went from having to be tube fed to transitioning to eating by mouth. She went from having no voice, being aphonic, to being able to regain her voice function.” The speech pathologist who has worked at UNC REX for more than 16 years says she was struck by Fernandez’s determination and upbeat attitude. “Lisa has the best personality,” Lovette recalls. “She was just so lively and she was
