Calgary man, 37, faced ‘brutal battle’ with virus
Recovering Skyview Ranch resident says don’t underestimate COVID-19
Greg Massey walked out of the Peter Lougheed Centre on Monday afternoon, putting behind him a harrowing 10 days. The 37-year-old Calgarian was given the green light by doctors at the hospital to return home, fresh off battling COVID -19.
Massey’s age is what makes this case so much different than many we’ve heard of during the coronavirus pandemic.
He’s not elderly. He’s young and in relatively good shape, except for a lifelong, mild case of asthma.
“It was like I came pretty close (to dying) — it was pretty scary,” said Massey on Monday. “I had an asthma attack two days ago, and
I haven’t had one since I was six years old. I couldn’t breathe, and no one could understand what was going on. And I was really spacey. Once they figured out it was asthma, they gave me puffers and it cleared up right away.
“To think that it only affects old people is quite narrow-minded, I think. But … yeah … it was pretty scary.”
Despite terming the family’s routine to guard against coronavirus as “anal,” Massey somehow contracted COVID -19 a few weeks ago and locked himself in the basement in his Skyview Ranch home.
He had fevers daily. He had trouble sleeping. He couldn’t eat and lost 17 pounds in a short time.
“Oddly enough, on that day I got sick, the whole morning I felt OK and then, all of a sudden, I hit a wall,” Massey said. “I went from zero to 60 in a second.
“It was difficult because I couldn’t spend time with my kids. And then my poor wife (Amanda) is looking after all the kids (sixyear-old Nicholas, four-year-old Charles and two-year-old Claira).”
Then on Friday, Massey’s breathing got so bad he called an ambulance and was taken to hospital.
He left the house in the company of health care workers dressed in what friends and family described as “space suits” to guard against coronavirus.
“My oldest boy was pretty devastated to see me go,” Massey said. “It was hard. And then I had a pretty brutal battle for a couple of days in the hospital.”
Eight people in Alberta have died from the virus, with five new COVID -19-related deaths announced Monday.
The province has seen 690 confirmed cases of the condition — with 29 new ones.
Massey says that he’s one of nine confirmed cases of COVID-19 among the parishioners of Living Spirit United Church in southwest Calgary.
One woman from the congregation, he believes, is being moved into palliative care.
He says he’s the only “young person” to contract the disease.
“There was a party that we were hosting after church for one of our parishioners, and out of that, my wife’s dad got sick and I got sick and then others got sick,” said Massey, adding that his father-inlaw is currently “doing really well” after suffering from minor symptoms of COVID-19 but being hospitalized at Calgary’s South Health Campus.
The church has since been closed, with services being held online on Zoom Video Communications.
“Our church isn’t that big,” Massey said. “We only have about 40 or 50 people.”
As for Massey, his world has been rocked by what’s hit him in the last few
When I get better and when things return back to normal,
I’m going to cherish every moment.
weeks.
He’s a musician and works a number of jobs, with his main trade being a teacher’s assistant for the music program at Central Memorial High School.
His battle with COVID -19 has, of course, affected his ability to work and, therefore, his income.
“It’s been really difficult — it seemed bleak at times,” said Massey, who’s now back in isolation at home for what will likely be another two weeks.
“But I have to say that the people at the Lougheed are amazing.
“And when I get better and when things return back to normal, I’m going to cherish every moment of life and not just let it go by,” he added.
“I’m going to try to appreciate things more, because this really has made life difficult.”