Much to appreciate after Covid19 isolation

Hugging their daughter was the first thing Knysna ward councillor Peter Myers and his wife, Candace, did after learning they had recovered from the coronavirus.

“We just held her in our arms,” an emotional Candace said on Tuesday.

The couple contracted Covid-19 while on a recent trip abroad, where they attended their godson’s wedding in Switzerland.

They had followed this with a sightseeing tour to Prague and Vienna.

After a harrowing three weeks in isolation, the couple were informed on Tuesday that they were now fully recovered and could get back to their daily routines.

The two, who arrived back in Knysna on March 13,  said they immediately went into self-isolation as a precautionary measure even though they showed no symptoms of the virus at the time.

But not long after their arrival home they began showing symptoms.

Tests confirmed their fears.

Candace said the symptoms included a high fever and severe body aches.

Peter has underlying asthma problems and, when he developed a chest infection, he found  it exceptionally difficult to breathe.

“It was a dark and awful place we found ourselves in. We are happy to be alive,” Candace said.

Eating became difficult.

“It became a job. We ate just because we needed to.

“Peter lost more than 6.5kg over this period.”

While the physical suffering was intense, Candace said the emotional trauma of having no contact with their 12-year-old daughter was “excruciating”.

The two were confined to a room in their house during the course of the self-isolation process, while Candace’s brother, who had picked them up at George Airport, was living in the rest of the house with their daughter to minimise contact as a precautionary measure.

It was only this week, after the couple were no longer symptomatic and had passed the 14-day mark advised by their doctor, that they ventured out of their bedroom and were able to hug their daughter again.

“She is still a bit skittish and keeps her distance,” Candace said.

“It has been a very stressful time for her. You can see she has taken strain.

“Obviously, when you see your parents are ill and you hear all the horrible stories about the virus, you fear for their lives.” 

Now that they are out of isolation, Candace has “cleaned the pantry, cooked some food and cleaned the house”. 

The couple said they felt overwhelmed by the support they had received.

“We’ve had calls, messages and other gestures, including people dropping off food, magazines, dog food and even a few Corona beers.”

Candace said they had also learnt to appreciate the small things in life, such as embraces, and being able to smell and taste. — Garden Route Media