Prior to spreading across the U.S., the country’s first deadly outbreak of the novel coronavirus began at a suburban nursing home, Life Care Center, in Kirkland, Washington on February 28.
Many of its residents succumbed to the virus, yet one 90-woman shares her story of healing as part of her testimony.
Throughout the winter, Geneva Wood spent her days at Life Care Center as she was recovering from a stroke. She was just a few days away from returning back home, when her facility went on lockdown because of a COVID-19 outbreak. Things would make a turn for the worse as Wood “experienced a spiking fever” three days later.
"I didn't know that I had the virus until I had the virus. I had no symptoms of it before," Wood told CBN News.
KIRO7 reports that her condition worsened to the point of death. Doctors even went as far as to have her family come to say goodbye.
Woods' daughter, Cami Neidigh recalled her mom reaching out to her and other family members through a pane of glass, in which hospital staff permitted Neidigh “to hug her mom one last time” while wearing full protective gear, KIRO7 reports.
"I knew that I was leaving with peace and that I wanted them to know that I loved them and enjoyed them," Wood shared with tears in her eyes.
But then Wood started to experience gradual improvement, and eventually recovered from the virus, a miracle Wood attributes solely to God.
"If it hadn't been for my faith in God and my family and their prayers and all their families and the church and everything ... the faith and prayers pulled me through," Wood explained.
Despite mostly being kept in isolation while nearing death, Wood notes God’s presence provided her comfort amid her pain.
"I could feel God's presence. His hands were on my body and I could feel His presence and I'd wake up and I could feel these hands and I'd go back to sleep. Through the night, 'cause I'd wake up, I couldn't see His face, but I could feel His hands and I knew He was with me and I made it through the night," Wood remembers.
"Until you've felt God's presence and his hands on you, it's something else. If it hadn't been for Him, I couldn't have done it. And I wasn't alone because He was with me all the time," she continued.
Additionally, Wood mentions “one special” doctor who blessed her with a Bible as he would read her favorite scriptures daily.
"At first all I said was Psalm 23, but he would read to me every morning," she said.
Wood’s recovery was considered by her family as “miraculous,” as she was sent home coronavirus free “nineteen days after entering the hospital.”
For anyone else battling COVID-19, Woods shares her advice.
"Don't give up hope. God is always there and put your trust in Him and lean on Him and give your life to Him. And you'll make it, but you've got to not give up hope and fight."
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Yaom
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
