Bon Secours Hampton Roads Foundations
“Thank you, donors, for keeping such a great hospital here. I don’t know where I’d be without Mary Immaculate.”
Jesse was the first COVID-19 patient at Mary Immaculate Hospital and got life-saving care, thanks to donors to the Hampton Roads Foundations
Jesse DeBraux can’t say thank you enough. He was recently the first patient to recover from COVID-19 and be discharged from Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital. Your generosity meant the hospital had all the supplies, equipment and resources needed to care for COVID patients like Jesse.
“They saved my life,” Jesse said.
He spent two weeks in the hospital after being diagnosed with the virus in mid-April. His condition was so serious that he was on a ventilator for eight days in the ICU.
Jesse was unconscious for many of those days in ICU. He credits respiratory therapist Lavese Russell with motivating him to fight for his life by saying the names of his wife and children as encouragement. Visitor restrictions meant his loved ones couldn’t be by his side, so compassionate staff like Lavese tried to offer extra emotional support.
“I didn’t even know what was happening, but Lavese would put the phone to my ear and it was like I was dreaming when I heard my wife telling me that I have to get strong and come home,” Jesse shared.
When he was finally well enough to return home to his family and wife of 28 years, the care teams at Mary Immaculate Hospital lined up to celebrate Jesse as he left the hospital.
“It’s amazing to know our community supports such a wonderful place,” Jesse added. “They were really there when I needed them.”