‘I’ve never in my life felt this much pain,’ a local COVID-19 patient before a ‘miracle’ happened

In July of this year, Ralph Robinson,

58, of New Britain, Connecticut, heard the devastating news that his sister in Atlanta, sick with COVID-19, had died. He quickly flew to Atlanta, performed her funeral since he is an ordained pastor, and then flew home. About 10 days later, he began to feel ill. “My nose was running and for some reason I started feeling pain in my chest. I said, ‘What’s wrong with me?’ I was sore over my entire body,” Robinson recalls.

Two days later, he says he passed out at work and was admitted to The Hospital of Central Connecticut, part of Hartford HealthCare. He soon tested positive for COVID-19.

Dr. Sarah Banks, M.D., infectious disease specialist for Hartford

HealthCare Medical Group, was part of an interdisciplinary team of doctors who cared for Robinson. Though he was not on oxygen initially, his respiratory symptoms progressed rapidly, Dr. Banks said. Several pre-existing conditions worked against him as well: Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes, high blood pressure, low kidney function and he was overweight.

Robinson recalls vividly how he felt as his health worsened. “Lord have mercy, I have never in my life felt this much pain,” he says. “All of my bones were aching.

Pain everywhere. Pain in my joints, pain in my knee, pain in my back. I couldn’t breathe. They had a breathing tube in me. I was helpless. I could not walk.

“I was in so much pain I told my brother, ‘I don’t think I’m going to make it.’”

Dr. Banks says the team treated Robinson with both a steroid and remdesivir, an antiviral that was granted emergency-use authorization by the FDA for the treatment of COVID-19.

“He actually responded very well to the medications. His respiratory status improved. We were able to wean down the oxygen. And he did very well after that. He was able to go home and finish up his steroids,” Dr. Banks says. Robinson calls his improvement “a miracle.” He says Jesus appeared to him and said, “I’m going make your life a miracle.” In return, Robinson says Jesus told him to not be afraid to talk about

COVID-19 and the symptoms and to spread a message of hope and healing and make a difference in people’s lives.

“In the morning, the doctor and nurses came in and looked at the monitors and asked, ‘What happened?’ Everything looked normal,” Robinson says. He said his blood pressure had been “out of control” before then. And his temperature had been a dangerously high 104 degrees but was now 97.1. He explained to the doctor, “Jesus healed me. Jesus came in my room.” Soon the ventilator was removed, and Robinson was able to breathe on his own.

Robinson was released from the hospital, and he says he has embraced a new life and new purpose. He lost weight and now walks five days a week. He reports he has reduced his insulin units from 80 per day to 30. He has reduced his other medications and hopes to be off them by December. And he says he looks at the world differently now — he is more attentive.

“I look at trees now. I look at the birds now. I look at everything differently now. I have peace that surpasses all understanding. Life is more than making money. Life’s about helping others less fortunate,” he says.

To people who have been recently diagnosed, he has a message: “Do not give up. Trust the process. Begin to write down the things you believe. Even if you don’t believe in God, that’s O.K. Believe in a higher power, Mother Earth, whatever you believe in, just believe you will be O.K. Work with your doctors. … Say, ‘You ain’t gonna win, coronavirus! I’m going to do my part by having a positive attitude.’”

Since coronavirus is still circulating in our communities, experts such as Dr. Banks are expressing concern that fall could bring an uptick in cases. To prevent this, she says, “The best thing we can do is to remain vigilant, wear your masks, physically distance from people as much as you’re able, and always remember to wash your hands, especially after touching your face or your mask.”

Keith Grant, senior system director for infection prevention at Hartford HealthCare, recommends vaccination against seasonal flu this fall, mid to late October, as an important step toward protecting your respiratory system.

“We have proven that with a healthier respiratory system, you have a better chance if you test positive for COVID,” Grant says.

Additionally, he recommends, if you have a chronic lung disease, get treated and do your follow-ups, and if you smoke, quit. “And wear your mask, wash your hands and take care of each other,” he adds.

For people who begin to feel unwell and experience flu-type symptoms, Grant says they generally tell patients that if they do not improve after 24 hours, or they have COVID-specific symptoms such as loss of smell or taste or difficulty breathing, they should contact their healthcare provider about testing and treatment, and isolate. Whether flu or COVID-19 or both, Hartford HealthCare has access to approved treatments.

Dr. Banks offers hope and reassurance for those who contract coronavirus going forward. “I think we are definitely seeing improvement in patients more readily than we were earlier on in this pandemic, because we do know that the steroids and the remdesivir help to some degree.”

To those who think COVID-19 is nothing to worry about, Robinson emphatically says, “Nonsense! … Go visit a family that’s grieving at a funeral home or grieving at a gravesite and see the pain. Look at the agony. Look at the residual effect of someone’s loss of a love one from COVID-19.”

Robinson is extremely grateful to his doctors and nurses and God for what he calls his second chance to make a difference in the world. He hopes to raise money to build a church in Atlanta, and he welcomes people to join his Facebook page, “Apostle Ralph Robinson,” to hear his sermons.

“You can always make an impact in somebody’s life. All you’ve got to do is pay attention to them. Be patient. And we can make the world a better place when we take time to help people.”

Want to know more about COVID-19 and/or seasonal flu? Tune in to Hartford HealthCare’s Facebook Live Sept. 23 at noon to hear from their experts.

Have specific questions about COVID-19?

Call Hartford HealthCare’s COVID-19

Clinical Command Center 24-hour hotline, staffed by healthcare professionals, and available to the community at(860) 972-8100 or

(toll-free) (833) 621-0600.

Click here to schedule a virtual visit with a Hartford HealthCare-GoHealth Urgent Care doctor.

—Laura Strom for Hartford HealthCare

This paid post is produced by Studio1847, a division of Tribune Publishing Co., on behalf of Hartford HealthCare. The newsrooms or editorial departments of Tribune Publishing Co. are not involved in the production of this content.