At the University of Kansas Health System news conference on Tuesday, doctors discussed resiliency with a heart transplant patient, Carol Barnett.
She had a transplant in May, and was unable to have any visitors in the hospital, except the morning she received her heart, and one other time.
Since her transplant, she has resumed some of her activities including walking, cooking, gardening and occasional visits from the grandchildren.
She feels great and has increased her walking to four to five miles a day, she said.
“I’ve been given this whole new lease on life,” Barnett said.
“We’re lucky to live somewhere where we have a nice yard and can walk around. We make the best of the situation,” Barnett said.
Dr. Nicholas Haglund, a cardiologist, said hospitals are one of the safest places to be around, and he would advise patients to follow their doctors’ advice if they need treatment.
Dr. Matthew Danter, a transplant surgeon, said needs have not changed and patients should discuss their conditions with their physicians.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 16 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, for a cumulative total of 5,637, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. The number of deaths was the same as previously at 111, there were no increases.
At the University of Kansas Health Center, there were 23 acute COVID-19 patients in the hospital on Tuesday morning, including 10 in the intensive care unit and three on ventilators, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection control and prevention at KU Health. It was down two from 25 on Monday. In addition, 30 patients have done past the acute stage and are in the convalescent stage at the hospital, he said.
Free testing offered
Free COVID-19 testing is planned from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26, at Zotung Christian Church, 5010 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas, through Vibrant Health and the Health Equity Task Force.
Free testing also is offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Unified Government Health Department parking lot at 6th and Ann, Kansas City, Kansas. For more information, call 311.
For more information on who may be tested and what to bring, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
The KU doctors’ news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital.
The Unified Government Health Department is now collecting input on people’s experiences getting tested for COVID-19 in Wyandotte County. The survey is on the UG website at https://us.openforms.com/Form/ea97a450-3d74-4d86-8d1f-6e340d55cf7c.
The UG Health Department sports order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/08132020localhealthofficerorderregardingsports.pdf.
The Wyandotte County school start order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask order and is in Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan. For more information, residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.
The CDC’s COVID-19 web page is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.