How COVID-19 Affected Darell Johnson And His Family
- Arturo Ruiz
- Apr 28, 2020
- 7 min read
Updated: Feb 26, 2021
By Arturo Ruiz
Amid all of the statistics, information, and high-profile cases, here is a story on how COVID-19 has affected a family of six, already struggling to make ends meet.
Darell Johnson, 43, from Morristown, NJ, worked as an administrative assistant in the Guidance Office at Morristown High School. To support his four children he also worked for the Transport Department at the Morristown Medical Center, and as a bouncer at two local bars in Morristown: The Tavern and The Grasshopper. He was battling Coronavirus for three-weeks in the hospital until it ultimately took his life.
Darell’s children, Katelyn 22, AJ 13, Emma 9, and Maycie 4 had been spending 40 percent of their time with him and the remainder of the time with their mother, Melissa Johnson, 41, who is an administrative assistant at an elementary school in the Morris School District and a manicurist at a salon in Rockaway. She and Darell have been divorced for more than four years. Just weeks ago Melissa made the routine drop off at Darell’s place on Friday, so the kids could spend the weekend with their Dad. She said at that point in time Darell seemed like his normal self.
The following day, Saturday, they texted about the state shutting down due to COVID-19 and talked about the kids who were starting their first full week of online classes at home.
Sunday, Melissa picked the kids up and said a quick, “hi and bye,” to Darell. He was outside at that time, Melissa said. Later that evening the kids told Melissa that he wasn’t feeling too well and stayed in bed for most of the weekend. Melissa didn’t think it was out of the ordinary because of the stay at home orders.
“I figured maybe he’s just watching tv and you know there's not much to do, hanging out all day and watching tv didn’t seem out of the ordinary.”
The next day, Monday, her daughter, Emma, mentioned that Darell was coughing a lot.
Melissa's daughter told her, “He was coughing and coughing all over the place and we kept having to get him water.” At this point Melissa was worried. She texted Darell saying that the kids were telling her that he wasn’t feeling well. She called him three times, he didn’t answer. Melissa decided to go over to Darell’s place and check on him. She knew he was sick and she was concerned because he already had sleep apnea which causes him to have breathing problems, especially at night. “I made myself a mask, I put rubber gloves on, and I brought Lysol wipes with me.” Melissa had a feeling that Darell could have the Coronavirus because he was coughing.
“When I got there he was laying in bed. His breathing was really really bad. He was panting and he had shortness of breath.” Melissa took his temperature and Darell had a low-grade fever. At that moment Melissa said they have to go to the hospital or that she was going to call 9-1-1. Darell tried to say that he thought he was okay. Melissa stated that maybe he didn’t want to believe how sick he was. But, she convinced him and they left. Unsure where to go they drove to the Morristown Medical Center emergency room.
“I brought him to the emergency room. I wasn’t really sure what to do because the news was so confusing on coronavirus testing. But because I could tell he couldn't breathe. I knew he had to go to the emergency room.”
At the hospital, there was one car in front of them. They had to stay in the car for all of the processing. Nurses came out to the car in full gear, said Melissa, “masks and everything.” They filled out the paperwork in the car and the nurses took Darell’s driver's license and made a copy. They came back out with a wheelchair, hooked Darell up with oxygen, and brought him into the hospital.
Later that day Melissa updated her kids on the situation. “Well when my mom first sat us down with me and my three siblings it was tough to swallow all the information,” said Katelyn, the eldest daughter.
“At first I think we weren’t that worried only because we had heard a lot about the virus and as a family, we discussed it a lot,” Melissa said. “When he first went into the hospital I thought well you know he’s got more breathing issues than us so I don’t think that it’s that uncommon that he is going in.”
In less than twenty-four-hours at the hospital, Darell tested positive for pneumonia and COVID-19. He was then told that he was going to have to be on a breathing tube.
Melissa said she didn’t connect the dots that the breathing tube was a ventilator until the doctor explained the situation to her. She asked the doctor how long he could be on the ventilator for and he said he wasn’t sure. She asked the doctor what the minimum time he could and he said two to three days. “I kind of went in my head okay three or four days he’s going to be on the ventilator and then he’s going to be off and talking and back to normal or somewhat better.”
Darell called the family on Tuesday, the day after his admission, and updated them on his condition. This was the last time the family was able to speak with Darell.
Melissa described that period of time as an emotional roller coaster. One day the numbers go up and it seems like he is improving kind of quickly and he seems to be doing a lot better. And then the next day he has something else and then he has a step-back.”
Within the first week, Katelyn called the front desk asking if she could drop off cards for her father that she had made with her siblings. Katelyn said that it was comforting that Darell knows a lot of the nurses at the hospital because he’s worked there for 13 years. The medical staff hung the cards up by Darell’s window. The healthcare workers have been extremely helpful and supportive to us, Katelyn said.
A week after Darell called the family, his son AJ was showing symptoms of the Coronavirus so Melissa brought him to the hospital. “They would not test him. They said because he has so many symptoms and he was with someone who was positive. He is assumed to be positive.” AJ was discharged from the hospital, given some paperwork on how to manage the Coronavirus and told to stay at home. In the coming days, they all were showing symptoms and assumed to be positive with the Coronavirus by their doctors. According to Melissa they are now all feeling healthy, but she remains deeply concerned by the lack of testing.
“We don't have enough tests and they are not testing kids and they are not testing people who have come in contact with it that are showing so many symptoms, so to me the biggest issue in all of this, is that the numbers that they are showing every day on TV are not correct. You have a family of five right here that all had it and are not reflected in that number and you know there are tons of families that are the same way.”
Katelyn said, “ I feel like this whole thing emotionally has been really really hard but me and my mom know the most information and we are not sharing every little detail with the kids. They are not totally emotional all the time and I feel like it kind of helps with our sanity. We have to keep our composure for the kids. So we’re really upset, but we are able to manage it well. We’re staying strong and we’re doing that for the kids too.”
Two-weeks into Darell's fight against COVID-19 while he was heavily sedated the nurses Facetimed Melissa and the family. Katelyn said, "the nurses Facetimed my mom and she put us on to talk to my dad in hopes that he could hear us."
As Darell’s hospitalization progressed, he had a tracheotomy and Melissa said that it temporarily improved his oxygen levels. However, he still struggled with kidney issues, pneumonia, and received a feeding tube.
Morristown has rallied to support Darrell and his family, not only emotionally but also financially. A GoFundMe account was made that has raised over $96,000 and countless social media posts and messages have been posted for the family.
Melissa said at first she didn't think a GoFund me was necessary but she was later convinced by others and ultimately thinks it will be a big help for her family.
“The good thing about my job and Darell’s job is that we work for the public school system so we do have very good health insurance,” said Melissa. She said she is currently in the process to see what her bills are going to be and to see what her insurance plan will cover.
Melissa added that more than just medical expenses are affected by Darell being in the hospital and the Coronavirus shutting down many businesses. Both parents had lost all of their part-time work. According to Melissa this severely affected their ability to cover expenses, “you still have to buy your kids clothes, and feed them, and take care of them and everything. All the bills you have, the internet so that they can do their schoolwork, just everything, and your phone bill so you have access. Other bills don’t stop.”
Katelyn expressed how meaningful community support was in keeping her family strong. “It’s comforting knowing how many people are there for him, adore him, and they are just very supportive to us and it feels really good in that sense,” said Katelyn.
Darell Johnson battled the Coronavirus for three weeks on a ventilator. Just days before his passing, daughter Katelyn expressed the enduring hope experienced by so many families.
“We are hoping that our dad is able to get all the care that he needs and he’s able to recover quickly so that we can eventually be with him and care for him and stuff. We honestly just want to hear his voice and be with him. So this is tough right now for us. But we are hopeful for the future,” said Katelyn.
Darell Johnson, passed away at the age of 43, on Saturday, April 18th, in the hospital.
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