My mother-in-law was admitted to St. Joseph’s hospital Ann Arbor in early February for a chronic abdominal ailment. Five surgeries later, and after suffering a stroke, we got word on Sunday evening that she was presenting with Covid-19 symptoms and was being transferred to the 10th floor to be put on a ventilator. At 81, she had waged an incredible fight, alone and often in despair. The inevitable seemed obvious.
On Monday morning, we learned that overnight, she fought her way off the vent and was sitting up in a chair, chatting with the nurses! The test for Covid-19 turned out negative. This morning, we chatted with her on FaceTime! What a fighter! What spirit!
We still do not know her prognosis, but when I hear pundits lament that this country may never fully recover from the “shelter in place” led economic catastrophe I think, bullshit! Jan embodies, as a member of the greatest generation, the ingredients that made this country the greatest country in the history of the world. It is her spirit, this spirit, that will propel the U.S. towards not just recovery, but more bounty than we have ever witnessed. I dare those who feel otherwise.
God bless America and God bless Jan!
Robert M. Bilkie, CFA