Hospitalized for more than 30 days as she battled COVID-19, 89-year-old Betty Knouse was discharged from Mount Nittany Medical Center this week.
Dr. Peter Thomas, of Mount Nittany Physician Group’s hospitalist program, said in a release that most hospitalized COVID-19 patients spend seven to 10 days inpatient.
“To be 89-years-old and spend more than 30 days recovering in the hospital is remarkable, but Betty was determined every day to get out of bed and make sure she ate to keep up her strength,’ Thomas said. ‘She is a real fighter.”
Knouse, of Port Matilda, had what she and her doctor initially thought to be a nagging sinus infection before she tested positive for the virus. Older people are among the most susceptible to the severe effects of the virus, and hospitalization and death rates for those 85 and older are the highest of any age group.
Thomas said he and Knouse made a pact that the medical team would provide her with everything she needed to recover and she would work hard to get better.
“I knew I could fight this and win,” Knouse said. “You just have to have faith. God will heal you.”
She also praised the medical center and its staff for the care she received.
‘The doctors and nurses took such good care of me,’ she said. ‘Even the cafeteria would work with me every day to make sure I had something good to eat that I would enjoy.”
Knouse urged community members to take precautions including social distancing, frequent hand washing and wearing a mask, which are the only effective measures in limiting the spread of the virus until a vaccine is available.
“It’s serious,’ Knouse said. ‘If you do get sick, have faith in God and be patient and listen to what your doctors tell you to do. There is hope.”
Knouse also found that hope in her family, friends and health care providers.
“I had the support of my family and so many friends. I was on – I think – something like 22 different prayer chains,” she said. “The staff here never gave up on me. They’re all so special. One good thing about this virus is that you find out there are a whole lot of wonderful people in this world.”
