A Texas couple was preparing to celebrate their upcoming 46th wedding anniversary when the coronavirus pandemic took hold of their household.
With their big day approaching, Robert Beecham began to feel ill.
“Shortness of breath, loss of appetite, my senses - smelling, taste - I mean, totally gone,” the 65-year-old told WFAA. “And then the cough.”
His condition worsened so his son took him to Parkland Hospital in Dallas.
After being admitted, Robert was tested for coronavirus and soon got the positive diagnosis.
While this was happening, his wife Janice was receiving cancer treatment at another area hospital.
“I was getting ready to get my first chemo and I got a text message, ‘Your husband has COVID.’ And I’m like, ‘What?’” she told the outlet.
Rarely apart, Janice was especially distraught over not being able to see or be near her husband in the hospital.
While hospitalized, Robert, who had previously suffered two strokes and has congestive heart failure, was determined to get back home to Janice in time for their anniversary.
As Robert’s condition began to improve, Dr. Satyam Nayak helped devise a way for him to be able to quarantine at home with his wife.
Using a layout of the couple’s home, Nayak pointed out areas where Robert could go and areas he should avoid. In addition, he included parts of the home where the husband and wife could “peek at one another” from a safe distance.
But just as Robert was discharged, Janice received news that she had tested positive for COVID-19.
Luckily, her symptoms were very mild and didn’t require hospitalization.
“I didn’t care about being sick at that time, I was too concerned about him,” Janice told WFAA.
The two credit being able to be near each other as a factor in both of their quick recoveries.
Once together again, the couple were able to enjoy a subdued 46th anniversary at home.
“I’d tell him every night when we’d talk to come back home to me,” Janice recounted. “And he came home.”
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