NEW ORLEANS — For more than 20 years, Melvin McGee has worked to help hospice patients bathe, dress and eat. He says it takes time and patience. But it’s his determination and bravery that also make him a Healthcare Hero of the Day.
“It’s just one of those things where it’s just a gift that God has given me. Not everyone has the patience to take care of people,” McGee says.
One day, early in the coronavirus pandemic, McGee started to feel ill. Medical workers took his temperature twice on the same day, and it was significantly higher the second time. Before the end of the day, McGee was showing more symptoms. After the test results came back positive, McGee began a months long recovery at home.
“I’m just grateful to be alive,” McGee told WGNO. “I was one of the few that the Lord allowed to come back to this side because a lot of people I have known have died from Covid.”
McGee works for Lakeside Hospice in Metairie. He says, as of early May, he’s still waiting to get word that he has fully recovered and can return to the job he loves. He says the hospice care patients he left at Lakeshore are now calling him to see if he’s okay!
To see more of McGee’s story, click on the video at the top of this page. Healthcare Hero of the Day is sponsored by Schonberg Care.
