Columbus man helping D.C. nurses battle COVID-19 now fighting for his own life
COLUMBUS (WCMH) — A Columbus man, who went to Washington D.C. to help nurses fight the coronavirus, is now fighting for his life at Johns Hopkins.
Michael Rhodes, 46, contracted COVID-19 on April 30, 2020.
His fiance, Amber Wachenschwanz, and close friend, Chad Luster, said Rhodes had a positive impact with nearly anyone who crossed his path.
“He’s very giving,” said Luster. “We play softball together for many years and also been a great friend. Like I would say, he would give the shirt off his back to help anybody.”
Rhodes was a part-time nurse at Grant Medical Center and owned a small business in Columbus.
“He’s a huge family man and he wanted to help,” Wachenschwanz said. “That’s the first thing that you think of when you think of Michael Rhodes. You think of family and you think of just a really giving man.”
When Governor Mike DeWine shutdown Ohio due to COVID-19, Rhodes was without work.
Wachenschwanz said Rhodes decided to go work on the frontlines in D.C. for two reasons: support his family and lend a hand to an area COVID-19 hit harder than Columbus. He left his finance, nine-year-old twin boys and two-year-old son to help fight a disease ravaging the entire world.
“Our biggest goal of doing any of this is to show that this is real, it’s out there,” said Wachenschwanz. “We have everyday healthcare workers going to these places risking their lives. This is the plight healthcare workers take every single day.”
Wachenschwanz is also a nurse in Columbus and sees the battle nurses and doctors are facing during this pandemic.
She said Rhodes took an assignment at a makeshift COVID-19 hospital in D.C. on April 20 and 10 days later, he tested positive for the coronavirus.
“He thought he was going to ride it out at the hotel,” said Wachenschwanz.”The shortness of breath was so bad he couldn’t even get out of bed anymore.”
In a matter of two weeks, Rhodes was at Johns Hopkins on a ventilator fighting for his life.
“At first their first thing to me was asking is Michael going to die?” Wachenschwanz said the kids asked her. “I had to explain to them he’s very sick and the doctors are working very hard to get him better.”
She said while her twins understand more about the coronavirus, the two-year-old just wants to see his dad.
“He thinks about his dad all the time wants. He wants him home and so do I,” said Wachenschwanz. “It’s not easy right now.”
She said what helps are the positive messages from family, friends, and even strangers who are telling stories of how Rhodes was always there to help and support them.
“It puts a smile on my face,” said Wachenschwanz. “It makes me feel close to Michael. I can’t even explain to these people how much their support is helping me, and I know it’s got to be helping Michael.”
Wachenschwanz said her fiance’s condition was improving once he was placed on the ventilator, but said Monday night he had a setback.
“He pulled his tube out and then went into respiratory distress, and so now he’s back on the ventilator,” she said. “They’re starting to find little fires that they’re trying to put out, and he’s having a pretty rough time right now.”
To help support the family, you can donate to the GoFundMe fundraiser set up by Luster.