Greater Bridgeport NAACP head survives 3-week coma
BRIDGEPORT — The Rev. D. Stanley Lord’s online biography says he is “distinguished by his fervent worship (and) dynamic preaching.”
These days the local NAACP president’s voice is hoarse, his words sometimes difficult to understand, as his throat heals from the ventilator tube that helped him breathe for several weeks.
That voice could have been silenced for good by what his physicians said were complications from COVID-19.
“I was in an induced coma for 21 days. They didn’t think I was going to survive,” Lord said by phone as he prepared to return home from rehabilitation.
Feeling weak and unable to catch his breath, he checked into St. Vincent’s Medical Center in early April. He said he was diagnosed with “double pneumonia,” which the hospital staff attributed to the coronavirus.
Even though he tested negative multiple times, “They kept saying, ‘It’s COVID. It’s COVID,’ ” Lord said.
He remains skeptical he had the illness given the test results.
Citing patient confidentiality, St. Vincent’s declined to comment on Lord’s case.
Dr. Zane Saul, an infectious disease specialist with Bridgeport Hospital, speaking generally said, “We’ve had patients as well that we’ve treated as COVID even though we were not able to confirm the diagnosis with multiple tests.”
“What we’ve learned as we go into our third month treating patients with coronavirus is the symptoms patients present with — the classic findings on chest X-rays or CT scanning,” Saul said. “COVID pneumonia is when COVID affects the lungs . ... Looks like COVID, smells like COVID, it’s COVID, even without a positive test.”
While some people can recuperate at home, others need to be put in a medically induced coma and placed on a respirator.
“We’re seeing some people on respirators three, four, five weeks and many do come through,” Saul said. “We’ve lost many as well.”
Lord feared being in a coma for so long and recalled experiencing “vivid dreams.” He laughed when asked his age — “we don’t put that out” — but said he generally feels “fine.”
He lost 28 pounds and has been regaining strength in his legs. While his voice “is gonna take a while” he was able to participate in a telephone conference of the Greater Bridgeport NAACP’s board Thursday.
“I feel blessed,” Lord said. “There’s a lot of things I’m thankful for. Mostly glad to be alive.”