St. Anthony’s Hospital Cheers for Discharge of COVID-19 Patient

When Marlene Sherman arrived at St. Anthony’s Hospital on March 27, she already had been feeling the effects of the novel coronavirus. Now, after nearly three weeks in the hospital, spending some of that time in the intensive care unit and on a ventilator while suffering from COVID-19, Mrs. Sherman was discharged on Friday (April 17). And that was cause for celebration.

Mrs. Sherman had been suffering for about two weeks before coming to the hospital. Her husband, Mitchell, had shown some symptoms of coronavirus but only a minimal headache and a cough. However, her symptoms kept getting worse. It was then that her primary care physician told her to get to the hospital.

As she was taken from her room down to meet her husband, St. Anthony’s team members lined the hallways and clapped and cheered as she made her way to the exit. “Thank you, thank you! I owe you my life!” she said. “Thank you all for saving me, for giving me my life back,” she said. “I owe you my life, every one of you.”

“And not only just for Marlene, who thanks you, and I thank you, but our five children thank you and our grandchildren thank you,” Mitchell Sherman said. “You have given her back to them. Cleary she would not be here without your efforts – each and every one of your efforts.”

As she made her way to her car, Mrs. Sherman said, “I will be back to see everyone – “

“Healthy,” the husband interjected. “Yes, healthy,” she said. “Thank you!”

The couple, who moved to the area from Palm Beach County in 2017 to be closer to three of their five children, plan to virtually celebrate her homecoming. “First she will rest and recuperate and remain in semi-isolation for up to two weeks per doctor’s orders,” Mr. Sherman said. “We’ll serve unlimited non-fattening virtual chocolate cake – only kidding. She can have anything she wants. Very happy to have her home.”