COVID-19 survivor: Ventilator 'tough stuff'

When Nazareth's Ralph Albracht was first diagnosed with COVID-19 in March, he thought it was a death sentence.

"I'm 78 years old and they were saying that the older you are, the less chance you have," he said. "That was the main thing and so, of course, I called my wife and I have 10 grandkids and one of the boys is a real computer expert. He put us on a chatroom, a Zoom chatroom, and, of course, we began to pray."

After prayer with his family and the Nazareth community, along with treatment from the medical professionals at Northwest Texas Healthcare System, Albracht walked out of the hospital Wednesday.

He was met with a resounding celebration from family members, as well as more than 200 staff members at the hospital.

Albracht said he started coughing on March 11; that continued through the weekend. On March 16, a Monday, he went to his doctor, who thought he had a cold and prescribed medicine for that.

"By Tuesday, I had one of those little monitors for oxygen level and I checked it and it was at 74," he said. "We called the doctor at the hospital in Tulia. They said, 'You better get him over here ASAP.'

"We went over there in the emergency room and they x-rayed my chest. They said it was a little more than they were willing to handle so they sent me to Northwest in an ambulance."

Albracht was soon told he had tested positive for the coronavirus and was put on a ventilator for six days.

He said it took some time for his strength to come back, as well as the virus to get through his body.

He said he was lonely, not being able to see his family.

Martha Del Toro, director of marketing at the healthcare system, said while Albracht was in the hospital, staff members became his family, helping make connections with his loved ones who weren't allowed to visit.

"Our staff have really worked to keep the connection between family and our patients so they can still feel connected when they are not able to be with each other," she said. "We became his family here inside the hospital. We are very proud of that and it's a very significant moment for us. I shared with him ... that for us, we are excited he is getting to rejoin his own family."

But his loved ones' continued presence, both physically outside the hospital, as well as through prayer, is what Albracht said got him through the virus. He said the process helped him grow in his faith too.

"My family, especially, they have just been unbelievable to me. On that Saturday before Easter, they told me to look out the window and they were all out in the parking lot with signs and stuff and waving," he said. "That was really heartwarming. I don't think I would have made it without the family. But it has strengthened my faith in God for sure. It made me realize what was really important and what was not."

Brian Weis, the chief medical officer at Northwest Texas Healthcare System, said during the city of Amarillo's Wednesday COVID-19 news conference it was important for the hospital to celebrate Albracht's recovery since he was one of the first COVID-19 patients the hospital had.

When the first positive test came in the hospital, Weis said he could see the anxiety in the hospital that the virus was officially in Amarillo and in their hospital.

"To see this man now leave the hospital, after all he has been through, just says to me that the staff can feel reassured now that we can take great care of these patients and that the vast majority of them will do well," Weis said. "It is a moment to celebrate and the fact that it's quite an accomplishment for him and our staff."

Because of the connection the staff made with Albracht, Del Toro said Wednesday's event is a bittersweet feeling in the hospital.

"We want him healthy and home, but we are going to miss him as well," she said.

Albracht believes he contracted the virus at a regional sports event he attended in Levelland, saying six or seven residents of Nazareth contracted the virus who were all at the same game. That, he said, showcases the importance of social distancing these days.

Nazareth is about 68 miles southeast of Clovis in Castro County.

"You don't want (this)," he said. "I told somebody I lost 10 pounds through this, but I sure would not recommend this way of losing 10 pounds ... it's just not worth it. That old ventilator stuff is tough stuff."

Albracht said he did not know what he was going to do first when he got to his home in Nazareth.

"I love to play the piano. So, I'm looking forward to that for sure," he said. "Just being with the wife. We have been married 56 years, so you get pretty used to each other, being around. Just to be home is going to be very good."