INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) – An Indian Trail woman who has multiple sclerosis and was vaccinated says she almost lost her life to COVID. She’s sharing her struggle and hoping to save lives.
Lindsey Howe looks like the picture of health. You wouldn’t know she has multiple sclerosis. She was at the beach with her son and didn’t think much about it when she developed a cough.
“I was just in such denial because I’m fully vaccinated. I try to take precautions but you have this vaccination kind of giving you this false sense of security,” said Howe.
Howe is usually the one caring for patients as a neonatal nurse practitioner, but on her 31st birthday, she became the patient.
COVID was battling with her body and putting up a fight against her immune system, which is compromised by her multiple sclerosis medication.
“When I was driving her to the hospital, I had no idea what I was getting into,” said Lindsey’s husband, Tyler Howe.
Lindsey rode with Tyler and their 3-year-old son, Henry, to the hospital.
“I didn’t even tell my son goodbye because in the back of my mind, I knew I might not see him again,” said Lindsey.
The separation almost unbearable…and then came the time when she had to go on life support.
“I slept through some of the messages. She was like, ‘I need you to wake up, I’m scared, I think they’re going to put me on the ventilator,’” said Tyler.
Tyler and Henry were apart from Lindsey the whole time.
“I stayed on the ventilator a total of 11 days. The grace of God saved my life.”
Her church started praying. People she didn’t even know asked God to give her a second chance.
“That was when I started to turn around. They would lay the phone near me. I don’t remember, but the power of all those people just storming heaven’s gates for me and I started to turn around,” said Lindsey.
She struggles to look at the pictures of her on a ventilator.
“It was hard to see myself like that because it makes you realize how close I came to not making it.”
Lindsey had to learn to walk and talk again.
“A lot of people my age are not making it to this side of the story that are not vaccinated, and I can’t help but share that because I don’t want anyone to have to go through what my family has.”
“It was horrible,” Tyler said.
“Tyler mourned the loss of me before I was gone,” said Lindsey.
After 38 days away from Henry, Lindsey got to hug her baby.
“He’s like, ‘Good job, mommy. You did it,” said Lindsey.
They finally got to celebrate Lindsey’s 31st birthday.