Benton, Ark. – The Rhonda Withem family was ready to say goodbye after making the difficult decision to take her off the fan that kept her breathing while fighting COVID-19.
Doctors said Withem would probably live only a few hours without a fan, but when they took him out, he seemed to be “coming to life,” Nicole Brewer’s daughter told CNN.
Brewer, her sister, and her brother-in-law were looking out of a glass door on Nov. 29 when staff at Saline Memorial Hospital in Benton, Arkansas, pulled her out of the car.
“When they took everything out, she woke up and saw my sister and [was] raising his hand to shake our hand, “Brewer said.
Brewer said he could see Withem trying to smile at them.
Withem, 62, tested positive for COVID-19 on November 7 and was quarantined at home.
At first, he just had a headache, cough and congestion, Brewer said. But her condition worsened and she was hospitalized a week later and immediately put on a ventilator.
Withem did not respond to efforts to remove her from the car, and after nearly two weeks, her doctor said she would never be able to breathe on her own, Brewer said.
The hospital staff let the family wait outside the room so that they could be nearby for what they expected to be their last moments.
Seeing Withem waving and smiling gave hope to the family, but they still didn’t know if he would succeed.
Withem grew stronger and, in the following days, managed to move from the ICU to a regular COVID-19 room, her daughter Rebekah Goshien told CNN.
She was a little confused at first after being sedated for so long, but she managed to have FaceTime conversations with her daughters and grandchildren.
On December 10 – Goshien’s birthday – Goshien was able to see his mother and hug them. Withem had been moved to a rehab room to strengthen her strength after being put to bed for so long.
“I was the first to go to see her, so it was a good birthday present,” Goshien said.
Withem can now have one visitor a day, so the sisters go one at a time to see her.
Goshien saw her on Friday and said she got up five times during her therapy session, which was a big improvement over the previous day.
He now pushes himself in a wheelchair to increase his arm strength and play bingo in therapy so that he can practice elbow movement and build endurance.
Goshien said her mother also does word search puzzles and can use her phone.
Withem has lived in Benton all her life, and the family gives prayers to the community and loved ones for her recovery.
“My family has seen a miracle … and it’s just all the glory and everything for God,” Goshien said.
The family created a GoFundMe account to help Withem pay his medical bills and other expenses.