Judy's Story

Burleson, TX

He was not allowed to have family with him as he suffered through this illness alone.

Hospitals suppressed lifesaving, low-cost treatment we specifically requested.

No Consent

“We had felt strongly that we should avoid hospitals for COVID treatment.”

At the end of July 2021, my 82-yr-old healthy husband came down with what he was certain was just a bad cold (because we had several friends who had had bad colds, bronchitis, etc.). On the 3rd day, shortly after midnight on Saturday, August 1, we checked his oxygen, and it had slipped to 88, a strong hint that it could be COVID. We had felt strongly that we should avoid hospitals for COVID treatment due to fears we could not get the treatment we wanted, and unfortunately, our worst fears came true. However, in the middle of the night, with oxygen levels slipping, we could not come up with any other safe alternative and were afraid not to go to the E/R, something I have regretted every day since. He was quickly diagnosed with COVID pneumonia, and we were told they were searching for an available bed for him. I was not allowed to be with him, even though I had been with him--and exposed--for days. I requested that he be treated with monoclonal antibodies and Ivermectin or Hydroxychloroquine. I was told they did not do that there, and I would have to request it when he was admitted to another facility. Hours later, they found a bed in a hospital about 1 1/2 hours from our home, and he was moved in the early morning hours. I found out later he was in a very small Emergency Hospital with limited facilities. I spoke with one of the nurses a few hours after his arrival and made our treatment requests known (as above) again. I was told that would require the doctor’s approval who would be assigned my husband's case, and because it was Sunday, they did not know who that would be or what time he would CALL IN for his televised visit with the patient. I was also told my husband had received his first of five doses of Remdesivir. I was not asked for consent to give Remdesivir, nor am I aware of my husband giving his consent, nor were we given any information about the possibility/likelihood of severe/deadly side effects from that treatment.

The Wrong Care

Late Sunday afternoon, I was included in a conference call with the doctor observing my husband through a TV monitor and a nurse in my husband's room. The doctor was a foreigner, hard to understand, and while I had to ask the nurse to repeat much of what he had to say, there were a few things he said that were loud and clear. When I asked for the antibody infusion, I was told my husband was not eligible. I asked why and was told that he would have to be on high flow oxygen and in ICU to be eligible. I asked why he could not be given the infusion to eliminate the need to ever be on high flow oxygen and in an ICU. I was told that did not meet FDA guidelines, which is the protocol followed by their hospital, and they would not give him the infusion. I asked about Ivermectin, and I was told they do not administer that drug because it does not follow their protocol, and IT DOES NOT WORK. I took exception to that statement and told him about several cases I was aware of, including friends who felt deathly ill, went to E/R & were sent home with no treatment, to just "wait it out,” took Ivermectin arranged by their daughter, and although they had never heard of it before, believed it was a miracle drug that saved their lives within 24 hours after their first dose. I got nowhere and was told again it was not part of their protocol and they would not administer that drug--and that several studies had demonstrated it was not effective. My husband was on high flow oxygen within two days and needed an ICU bed. I reminded the doctor that my husband now qualified under their criteria for monoclonal antibodies. The doctor said they did not have the ability to administer the infusion in their facility, and it would have to be done when he got into an actual ICU room at a larger hospital. For days, the transfer people could not find an ICU bed and were even looking at facilities out of state. We finally found him an ICU bed on our own 2 1/2 days after the search began through family contacts. Again, middle-of-the-night transfer in the wee hours of Friday morning.

Refused Right To Try

“My husband did die from multiple organ failure 19 days after arriving in the E/R..”

I spoke with my husband’s treatment team members on Friday morning and expressed our desired treatment again. I was told that now my husband was not eligible for the monoclonal antibody infusion because it was too late--treatment should be given as soon as possible, ideally within the first week after the start of symptoms. It was contra-indicated for my husband because it was longer than a week since onset, and it is not effective for people who are already hospitalized or severely ill with COVID-19. I was beyond frustrated. They again refused to administer Ivermectin because it was not part of their protocol. I requested Ivermectin numerous times during his hospital stay, including a formal letter to the Infectious Disease Specialist a week after he arrived at that facility, in which I begged yet again for him to be treated with this therapeutic that could save his life, had zero deaths and few, if any, side effects, therefore, there was nothing to lose by trying since nothing else seemed to be working. After numerous phone calls to everyone we could think of to call, the ID Specialist finally agreed to administer Ivermectin. Several days later, my husband got ONE DOSE!!! (Incidentally, I had COVID during this same period and was successfully treated with monoclonal antibodies and the appropriate dosage of Ivermectin.) My husband received a five-day treatment of Remdesivir during his first days in the hospital. I have since learned that this is a toxic drug reputed to have killed many patients and increased the risk of renal failure. My husband did die from multiple organ failure 19 days after arriving in the E/R.He was not allowed to have family with him as he suffered through this illness alone. This caused regular panic attacks, which I believe contributed even further to his poor health outcome.

Studies Show…..

“WHO issued a recommendation against the use of Remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19.”

Hospitals suppressed lifesaving, low-cost treatment we specifically requested. Instead, treated him with a drug aggressively pushed by the FDA, which was the least safe and effective of four drugs involved in an Ebola study in 2019. After six months, safety monitors canceled the study because of a 53.1% mortality rate from kidney and other organ failure caused by the drug itself. In the second study of only 53 COVID-19 patients, conducted by the drug manufacturer in March of 2020, 23% developed acute kidney and/or liver failure, and another 8% had to be pulled from the study with life-threatening adverse reactions. Approximately one month after my husband passed away, WHO issued a recommendation against the use of Remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19 because it "has no meaningful effect on mortality or other important outcomes for patients..." However, as of January 21, 2022, the FDA website continues to push Remdesivir and expand its use: "Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took two actions to expand the use of the antiviral drug Veklury (Remdesivir) to certain non-hospitalized adults and pediatric patients for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 disease. This provides another treatment option to reduce the risk of hospitalization in high-risk patients. Previously, the use of Veklury was limited to patients requiring hospitalization." SERIOUSLY???