First Arkansas covid patient shares story
He was known to many as Patient Zero, the first covid-19 patient in Arkansas, but to those who truly know him, he is a loving husband, father, son and a friend known as James Black.
Early in March 2020, Black, who lives in Pine Bluff, returned from a vacation only to spend the next 3½ months fighting for his life after he was found to have covid-19.
One year later, Black stood strong and was able to tell his story as the guest of honor with his wife, Shaunika Black, at the Jefferson Regional Medical Center’s “Covid-19 Remembrance Day” on Thursday.
Shaunika Black was overcome with emotion, reliving those days and nights she thought her husband wouldn’t make it home.
In a GoFundMe fundraiser that she organized in April, she said the first day her husband was admitted into JRMC on March 6, 2020, they went to the emergency room because he was feeling sick; It wasn’t until April 21, 2020, when he came out of the intensive care unit.
“Everything was fine,” she said on her fundraiser page. “A couple of days later it was like he went downhill on me.”
Shaunika Black said many tests were run on her husband, and she
remembers the last thing his doctor said: “I want to check him for the coronavirus.”
Shaunika Black said she remembered when she received the phone call from the Arkansas Health Department and had a gut feeling the call was to tell her that her husband was positive for covid-19.
“The lady was trying to hide it, so I told her, ‘Ma’am you don’t have to hide it from me because y’all don’t call people for nothing,’” Shaunika Black said on her fundraiser page. “I knew then he was positive for covid-19.”
On March 11, 2020, Gov. Asa Hutchinson declared a public health emergency, announcing a person from Pine Bluff was currently in isolation at JRMC after being tested for the new coronavirus, also known as covid-19.
“It has been determined that we have one patient in our main facility with a ‘presumptive positive’ case of covid-19,” Jefferson Regional Medical Center said in a statement. “The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is currently working to confirm this case.”
“It was nights I couldn’t sleep, nights I got phone calls saying they didn’t think he was going to make it,” Shaunika Black said as she recounted the experience in a tribute video. “Three and a half months without seeing your spouse, your family member, and then you got kids at home.”
James Black’s mother, Lillie Black, said there were days she thought she wasn’t going to see her son again.
“I remember when the doctor said we almost lost him three times,” Lillie Black said. “But we were some praying people.”
On April 2, 2020, six parking lots full of prayer warriors gathered on one accord at JRMC.
Community pastors prayed while those in their cars flashed their lights and honked their horns for all of the health care workers and covid-19 patients, including James Black.
“Everyone was out. Everyone was flashing their lights. It was just like, man, I wish he could see this,” Shaunika Black said. “There were days he was doing good, and there were days he was doing bad.”
James Black said he had moments when he felt he wasn’t going to make it as well.
“I was sitting in bed one night, I had called my pastor. I couldn’t even talk … I couldn’t even dial the phone,” James Black said. “The phone dialed my pastor, and I kind of made a little noise. He hung up the first time and the second time. Like I said, I couldn’t talk, and Sister Wright and Pastor Wright started praying for me.”
James Black spent 47 days in ICU and then was transferred to Cornerstone Specialty Hospital in Little Rock, a long-term acute care hospital, where the respiratory team immediately began weaning him from the ventilator.
“When I first woke up, I looked at my arm, they were so small,” James Black said. “It kind of brought tears to my eyes, but I knew right then that I had to push myself.”
James Black said he had to learn how to walk and talk again. His mother said those times were stressful for her, but she never stopped praying.
“When he wanted to see my face, I would let him see my face on the phone,” Lillie Black said. “Then, I would walk away crying and start praying.”
The Resolute Medical Rehabilitation Services Team managed James Black’s physical, occupational and speech therapy.
According to a Cornerstone release called “Patient Hero,” after one week of therapy, James Black passed his swallow test and was able to eat.
He took his first steps in the hallway after more than 50 days of hospitalization. By the time of his discharge, his advanced airway was removed, and he was able to walk 200 feet with a walker.
Shaunika Black remembers when she received that phone call she had been praying for.
“They called my phone, and she said, ‘Oh girl, he is doing good,’” she said. “Those three and half months, they did not give up on my husband.”
James Black said he was thankful for everyone who played a part in his recovery.
“It’s been a rough road,” James Black said, who still has a problem breathing. “They took care of me very good. They did a fantastic job. The whole entire staff.”
But there was one person, in particular, James Black wanted to thank — his wife.
“My wife has been through a lot,” James Black said, who was released to go home April 24, 2020. “When I came home, she did a lot for me. It was a very special day.”
Since James Black has been home, his mother said it has been pure joy to hear his voice and to see him in better conditions than he was a year ago.
Now one year later, the tears shed are tears of joy, and James Black is a living testament and is the result of what family and friends are calling the power of prayer.
“It’s wasn’t easy at all,” Lillie Black said. “It was stressful, but just keep on praying because God’s got you here for a reason, and God kept my son here for a reason.”