The coronavirus pandemic has shifted us abruptly towards adjustments we weren’t quite ready to make just yet, such as keeping a mask on in public at all times, practicing social distancing, staying indoors as much as we can, and even suddenly working from home, and assisting the students in our family with the transition to homeschooling.
On top of that, symptoms of the flu or a simple cold can suddenly trigger fear and anxiety, and signify the need to immediately self-quarantine.
The coronavirus has greatly impacted the economy and the healthcare system, too. Not only that, it has also prompted countless arguments on issues concerning health protocols and exercising one’s rights to refuse wearing masks.
It’s like a bad dream that just won’t end.
But every bleak story has happy moments in between, just like what this couple shared.
Robert and Janice Beecham are high school sweethearts who have been married for 46 years.
They were able to pull through together and beat not just COVID-19 but surpass surgeries and chemotherapy as well.
There really is a silver lining in every gray cloud! These high school sweethearts went through quite a lot, health wise.
“Each time that he’s been sick, I’ve always been there with him,” Janice shares.
Janice Beecham was diagnosed with ovarian and breast cancer, while Robert suffered two strokes.
Then they both tested positive for COVID-19.
After feeling under the weather for about a week, Robert got in touch with his son who urged him to see a doctor for a COVID-19 test.
“He knew me agreeing without a fight meant that I was feeling pretty terrible.”
Robert was then admitted to the Parkland Hospital in Dallas where he tested positive.
A person who has suffered two strokes can be considered immunocompromised. This means facing the possibility that you could get severely sick from SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and even remain infectious for a longer period of time compared to others with COVID-19. (Source: CDC.gov)
But like a true fighter, Robert recovered completely.
Since one of the strokes resulted in not being able to celebrate an anniversary with his wife, Robert was determined not to let it happen again. He managed to pull through with the help of Dr. Satyam Nayak. In fact, there was even a plan formulated by the kind doctor to get Robert out of the hospital and back home to his wife in time for their anniversary.
“Dr. Nayak and I would open up casual conversations and it would take my mind off the virus.”
Then the unexpected happened.
Robert did make it home in time for their wedding anniversary but this time, it was Janice on the receiving end of health complications. It turns out his wife tested positive for COVID-19, too.
In an interview with CNN, the devoted husband shares,
“Once I got home and we did the quarantine, I was getting progressively better but Janice still had issues with her health.”
Things took a turn for the worse when her breast cancer returned and it was not possible to start chemotherapy as treatment until she fully recovered from COVID-19. The greatest risk that the waiting period posed was allowing time for the cancer to spread further.
Robert and Janice helped each other through it all: quarantines, surgeries, and chemotherapy.
Both are now COVID-19 and cancer-free.
Feeling extremely grateful for having survived such difficult situations, Robert and Janice say they are both blessed to be alive and to be able to celebrate another year of being happily married.
Watch how Robert and Janice pulled through together.
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