COVID survivors tell harrowing tales of trauma, lasting symptoms
By Maurice Hudson, Intern Reporter
“There was a point in time where I had to ask the doctor if I was going to die.”
Recalling his painful experience with COVID-19, Joshua Hedquist, executive chef for Macalester College and COVID-19 survivor, said he experienced some peculiar and rather scary effects from the virus.
Hedquist said it all started when he couldn’t taste anything and then it was a downhill process from there. The chef said he started to develop COVID ulcers that were in his sinuses and throat and developed “COVID rashes” all over his body.
Chef Joshua Hedquist spent three weeks hospitalized due to COVID-19. Photo courtesy of Joshua Hedquist’s Facebook page
“I couldn't drink water at times because it hurt so much and it was hard breathing because I had all this stuff going on in my esophagus where things were swollen or inflamed,” Hedquist said. “I was telling my girlfriend to FaceTime me every two hours at night to make sure I'm not going to suffocate at night because of this.”
Hedquist said initially he thought COVID-19 would feel similar to a normal common cold, but the virus is very unpredictable. He said he got to a point that a quarantine wouldn’t be enough, he decided after two weeks of enduring his effects of COVID-19 to go to the Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC).
During his three-week stay at HCMC, Hedquist said it was overcrowded and understaffed and he had to wait in a closet for more than 18 hours. He said he went almost a week without proper care because of the number of patients to nurses and doctors.
Dayna Hudson is once again smiling after her bout with COVID-19. Photo courtesy of Dayna Hudson
“I was there six days, didn’t shower and I got rotten skin hanging off my body because I didn't have a proper room,” Hedquist said. “But, when the nurses and doctors came to see me, I thanked every single one of them for the work they did.”
“It (COVID-19) is like this thing inside of you that you can't see, you can't defeat, it's kicking your ass, and there’s nothing anyone can do,” Hedquist said.
Upon returning home, Hedquist said the recovery to his full self was taxing.
“I got out of the hospital and then it probably took me a month after that to where I could start eating normally,” Hedquist said
Throughout the process, Hedquist said that he has lost 35 pounds and he is still working on getting back to where he was to this day.
Dayna Hudson, professional oil painter and COVID-19 survivor, experienced a different set of symptoms from the virus. Hudson said when she contracted the virus her first symptom was the loss of smell.
“It (loss of smell) wasn't from congestion,” Hudson said. “My sinuses stopped working like it was non-existent and my nerve endings were not sending signals to my brain.”
Alongside the loss of smell, Hudson said she was experiencing shooting pains and joint pain that was caused by the virus.
“I have fibromyalgia and I had extreme shooting pains where I could barely walk without feeling like I was stepping on nails,” Hudson said.
Hudson said she felt the pain starting at her chin down to her ribs and it would come about at various times throughout the day.
“It follows a pattern and it felt kind of cold and kind of hot like electricity shooting in that area,” Hudson said.
Hudson said she is still recovering from symptoms of COVID-19 after testing negative for the virus.
“I still experience a thing called phantom smell and it has happened at least a dozen of times since recovering,” Hudson said. “I have flashes of smells that are heightened and smells like burnt ash.”
Despite the horrendous experiences that Hedquist faced, he said he wouldn’t take it back and he’s using what he went through to educate people on the dangers of the virus.
“I think I'm the right guy for this to happen to,” Hedquist said. “I sit on the board of directors for nonprofits here locally, I'm a small business owner, I work at a college, and I'm outspoken, therefore, I feel like I can reach more individuals and tell them my story to give them perspective.”