 APRIL 23 • 2020 | 21

H

arvey Olson, 80, of 
Commerce Township is 
living proof that COVID-
19 can be beaten. His story is 
spreading hope among his friends 
and relatives across the globe. 
Both Harvey and his wife 
Doris, 74, are on the other side of 
a ferocious three-week-long battle 
with the novel coronavirus. Both 
believe they contracted the virus 
in mid-March after attending a 
wedding in Florida and flying 
back home to Metro Detroit. It 
was right around the time when 
schools were starting to close.
“From the beginning, I felt 
really lousy,
” Olson told a TV 
reporter by phone as he was 
about to be transferred out of 
Beaumont Royal Oak to a rehab 
facility in Bloomfield Hills. “I felt 

very, very weak.
”
Olson came down with a low-
grade fever that spiked to 102. 
He also had a terrible cough and 
trouble breathing. Add to that a 
weakened immune system after 
a battle with prostate cancer 
(which remains in remission) and 
recent back and knee surgeries, 
and family members were under-
standably terrified when he tested 
positive for COVID-19. 
According to the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, 
as of April 20, there were 41,455 
coronavirus deaths in the U.S., 
and patients Harvey’
s age are con-
sidered among the highest risk.
“One day, I could barely hear 
his voice. He could barely talk 
between his gasps and his breaths. 
That was a very scary moment,
” 

said his daughter, Michelle Silber 
of Commerce Township. “I’
ll 
never forget how scared I was.
”
While Harvey was on oxygen, 
being treated with hydroxychlo-
roquine and azithromycin in the 
hospital, his wife, Doris, tested 
positive, too. She recovered while 
being quarantined at home. 
“I was just scared that I 
wouldn’
t make it,
” she said. “I had 
a fever, and I had this horrible 
headache.
”
A no-visitors policy at the hos-
pital prevented family members 
from being there in person for 
Olson, so they found ways to be 
there virtually. They made daily 
FaceTime calls and sent him a 
video filled with well wishes from 

family members across the 
globe. Harvey and Doris 
have five children between 
them, plus 16 grandchil-
dren and two great-grand-
children.
“I’
m a very lucky man,
” Harvey 
said. “So many people were there 
for me.
”
Now, family members can’
t 
wait for Harvey to return home, 
virus-free. He will have to regain 
his strength first. But it appears 
the worst is over.
“I truly have no words to 
describe how grateful I am to 
everyone who’
s prayed, to every 
health care worker who took 
care of my dad,
” Silber said. “I’
ve 
cried tears of happiness knowing 
that he and Doris defeated this 
beast. They are the lucky ones. 
Not everyone is so lucky. This is a 
reminder there is hope.
” 

Jews in the D
‘I’m a Very Lucky Man’

Harvey Olson, 80, survives COVID-19 along with 
wife, Doris, 74.

ROBIN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Michelle and Brad Silber talk 
with Doris, Harvey and other 
family members virtually while 
Harvey was in the hospital.

COURTESY OF MICHELLE SILBER

Please contact JHELP (housed at JFS) at 1.833.445.4357 or jhelpdetroit.org.

JFS is here to help

As the needs of our community continue to change 

WE are, too.
We are offering extended call-in hours for our Resource Center 
during this time of need and can help with: 

• Meals and assistance for older adults
• One-time confidential conversation with a licensed JFS therapist
• Financial resources and more

If you or someone you know need help, please call!
 
 
Monday-Thursday

8am-8pm

Friday

8am-5pm

