Isolation toughest part of coronavirus for Seminole couple

Wife spent 6 days in ICU after overseas vacation

A trip to to Jordan and Egypt was on Paula and John Kessinger’s bucket list.

So in February, they packed their bags for a two-week vacation. They visited historic sites and then boarded a three-day cruise on the Nile river.

“It was fantastic until we got back,” said John Kessinger on Monday in a phone call from the couple’s home.

That was when they both got the coronavirus — and his wife of nearly 50 years, Paula, ended up in the hospital for nine days — six of them in the ICU.

For eight days, except for the first day when John accompanied Paula to the ICU, the two couldn’t be together.

“That was the hardest part for me, and she’s nodding her head, too,” said Kessinger. His wife was on the phone call, too, but was still too weak to talk much. “I mean, I can’t imagine being in a room alone for nine days with very little contact, so it had to be really draining on her.”