GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — David and Charlunda Thompson share a special bond.
"I was in such agony knowing that she was on that vent and I couldn't be there by her side," says David. "We've never been apart. We're together in everything that we do."
Then, COVID-19 struck them both.
"At that time we were both coughing," said Charlunda. "I was kind of panting like a dog, oxygen saturation was super low."
Charlunda was immediately admitted to the hospital, and David spent three days at their home in Inkster, Mich., before needing hospitalization himself.
David was released soon after, but the couple remained apart. Charlunda had to be transferred to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, which is over two hours from where the couple lives.
"The fight does not end when you get a negative covid test result," David said. "For many of us, the fight is just beginning."
After countless hours of physical therapy and rehabilitation, Charlunda was healthy enough to leave Mary Free Bed. David used all the strength he had to make the trip from their home to Grand Rapids.
Their 45 day separation, over at last.
"When I saw David, oh man. It was like my wedding all over again," said Charlunda.
The two continue to recover at home, through Mary Free Bed's virtual therapy sessions.
Together once again, the couple says they thank God every day.
"We're just so blessed and thankful that he said we still want you here. You still have work to do," says David.
The Thompsons will celebrate their twentieth wedding anniversary in June.
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