Stories

Daniel Yount* remembers the exact day he began to experience COVID-19 symptoms. It was March 17. At first, he thought his high fever and headache were flu symptoms, but when he contacted his doctor, she asked if he could have been infected with the novel coronavirus. He didn’t think he’d come in contact with anyone who was infected and so after discussing his symptoms they ruled out COVID-19.

Erring on the side of caution, his doctor reported Daniel’s symptoms to Napa County, which requested that Daniel be tested for COVID-19. Two days later he learned he tested positive.

Daniel and his family were immediately quarantined, and while his family felt fine, Daniel got sicker. He lost his appetite and was bedridden. His fever was so high he had trouble thinking clearly. A few days later, a physician friend encouraged Daniel to go to Queen of the Valley’s Gasser Emergency Center.

Daniel’s x-rays showed pneumonia in both lungs. He remained in isolation overnight and was then transferred to the Queen’s Marjorie Mondavi Center for Intensive Care, where he stayed for several days.

Daniel doesn’t recall the names of all the nurses who cared for him, but three—Peter, Andrew and Jacob—stand out in his memory for their attention to detail, their nurturing skills and their ability to reduce his stress level.

Daniel was grateful for the calming influences of his caregivers, and says, “Everyone was so competent and kind that I was able to feel confident in their care and get the rest I needed.”

We know that peace of mind is important to you, too. That’s why the Queen strives to provide an advanced level of care that is rare for a community our size and is able to do so because of the support from donors.

In the short time he was at the Queen, Daniel was impressed by how quickly its COVID-19 care evolved, from the way equipment was disinfected to the isolation barriers that were erected.

Thanks to unrestricted funds, the Queen was able to react fast and be COVID-ready.

*The name of the patient has been changed for this story.