CARTERSVILLE, Ga. — A 40-year-old Cartersville man is recovering from COVID-19 after being in the hospital for nearly two weeks.
He says he knew something was wrong when he started feeling like he was getting the flu – then lost his ability to smell and taste.
But he was given two different diagnoses in a matter of days.
“I still have moments, I’m still very weak. I have a hard time walking but I definitely feel better than when I first went in," Shaun Evans said.
Evans says he went to Cartersville Medical Center on March 12, where he was first diagnosed with kidney failure.
“It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through, you know, you don’t want to hear that your kidneys are failing," he said while at home recovering.
Just two days after that diagnosis, he also tested positive for COVID-19.
“Hearing that was probably one of the worst things I’ve went through in my life," he said.
He believes he was exposed during a service at the Church at Liberty Square in Bartow County, which has been tied to a cluster of COVID-19 cases.
His fiancee, Sarah McDonald, was also at the church but has not shown any symptoms.
The hardest part for her was not being able to see him. Due to his condition, she says the hospital would not allow her to visit.
“It’s been awful, especially the lack of being able to be there," McDonald said. “You just don’t understand what it’s like to not be with them when they need you and they are saying, 'I need you here.' and you’re like ‘I can’t, I can’t."
Evans, who also has diabetes and high blood pressure, is now receiving dialysis three times a week, before he is allowed onto the transplant list to receive a kidney.
He's asking others to stay indoors.
“Stay home if you don’t have to get out," he said. "Stay home with your families."
To help Shaun, please visit the GoFundMe page that has been set up for him and his recovery at https://www.gofundme.com/f/strong-for-shaun.
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