“I want to say a big thank you to all of the nurses and doctors. Despite the risk to themselves, they did their jobs and also were concerned about making sure I was comfortable. I really do think they’re heroes because they worry more about patients than themselves.”
Caring providers bring comfort to a hospitalized COVID-19 patient.
On Monday, March 16, Nina Melker felt really tired. So tired that she took a nap. “I’m a very high-energy person, so it was extremely unusual for me to be napping,” says Nina, a Senior Vice President at Berkshire Bank, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Hamilton, and Chairman of the Board of its foundation.
Thinking it was the allergy medication she was taking, Nina rested but wasn’t overly concerned. “Wednesday, when I started sleeping 15 hours at night, my husband, Michael, said, ‘Something’s not right.’” Still, she persevered, working from home and resting as needed. That Friday, on a call with a client who’s the manager of a cardiology practice, Nina mentioned her extreme fatigue. Later, the client called back to say that one of the practice’s doctors was very concerned and thought it could be COVID-19.
That night, Nina had a low fever and decided it was time to seek care. She went to the Emergency Department at RWJUH Hamilton. There, she had blood work and a chest X-ray, and was tested for flu, strep throat and COVID-19. Her X-ray showed signs of COVID-19, and the diagnosis was confirmed on Sunday when her coronavirus test came back. Nina was put on oxygen.
After five days, her oxygen levels stabilized and she was discharged. By the first week of April, she felt mostly herself again. “I want to say a big thank you to all of the nurses and doctors,” says Nina. “Despite the risk to themselves, they did their jobs and also were concerned about making sure I was comfortable. I really do think they’re heroes because they worry more about patients than themselves.”