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!
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