FRANKFURT – Four years after Kentucky reported its first official case of COVID-19, Kandie Adkinson rang a unique bell in the Rotunda, its chime echoing across the Capitol.
“Flying Blind”: A Retrospective of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kentucky
He did it to honor those who died from COVID-19, just as he did for much of the pandemic.
Adkinson was joined by Gov. Andy Beshear and others who gathered Wednesday in the Capitol Rotunda to mark the day with grief for those who have lost the virus and hope for the future.
Over the past four years, about 20,000 Kentuckians have died from COVID-19. Many others survived the disease, like LeRoy Mitchell.
“Most of us know who passed away from COVID,” said Mitchell, who drives a bus for the Clark County school system.
Her sister died from the virus on September 5, 2020.
“If losing my sister was not devastating enough for me and my family,” he said, “four months later, COVID came for me in the worst kind of way.”
His wife discovered him on Jan. 8, 2021, he said. He was unresponsive and sent to the Clark County Regional Medical Center via ambulance then by helicopter to the University of Kentucky Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) in Lexington.
Once there, he said, “he didn’t have time to try. ” Later, her doctors told her that COVID-19 caused her to go into a diabetic coma, a blood clot in her lung, and that she was “trying to shut down my kidneys. “
Then they put him on oxygen. Mitchell spent 3 weeks in the hospital, followed by two weeks of rehabilitation. He became weak in the hospital and lost 50 pounds in his ordeal.
“I. . . I like a baby again, a baby stage. I couldn’t do anything for myself,” he said. His road to recovery, with a wheelchair, walker, oxygen tank, and a supportive wife, lasted 8 months. he said.
In the end, Mitchell told Wednesday’s hoards, “COVID lost and I won with my life. “
Beshear signed a proclamation Tuesday designating March 6 as a “Thanksgiving Day. “
Going forward, he said, “we want, as much as possible each year, not only to communicate about the loss — and the loss is significant — but also to communicate about how smart can come out of it.
“Although we are not facing a pandemic, we are still facing demanding situations right now. And if we could just approach them with a little of the same, at least try to perceive and love others, then this Global can just be a much better place. larger.
March 6 deserves to be a time of reflection, he said, “where we say we’re going through to try to do more and more as the years go by. “
Virginia Moore rose to prominence in Kentucky and beyond thanks to her presence at Beshear’s state-televised public information sessions. She stayed by his side for years, interpreting his lyrics in American Sign Language day in and day out.
Moore died in 2023 on Derthrough Day after surgery at the center, which his widow, Rowena Holloway, said was caused by a virus, “most likely” COVID-19.
“Virginia is a force to be reckoned with,” Holloway said. “She’s leaving a legacy like very few people I’ve met and it’s not just because she’s my wife. “
At the COVID-19 Memorial, a sculpture by Amanda Mathews on the Capitol grounds that opened in 2023, Holloway feels “the souls and spirits of everyone we’ve lost” to the pandemic.
“A little bit of Virginia is there too, floating above this monument, in those halls, the 30 years she spent in the state and the love she had for Governor Beshear,” Holloway said.
“In his memory, let’s make love and kindness our roadmap,” Holloway said. “We all die twice: once when our bodies give up and once when other people prevent us from saying our name. So keep them all alive. Say their names.
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by Sarah Ladd, Kentucky Lantern March 6, 2024
FRANKFURT – Four years after Kentucky reported its first official case of COVID-19, Kandie Adkinson rang a singular bell in the Rotunda and its doorbell echoed from the Capitol.
“Flying Blind”: A retrospective of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky
She did this to honor those lost to COVID-19, just as she did during much of the pandemic.
Adkinson was joined by Gov. Andy Beshear and others who gathered Wednesday in the Capitol Rotunda to mark the day with grief for those who have lost the virus and hope for the future.
In the last four years, nearly 20,000 Kentuckians have died with COVID-19. Many more contracted the illness and survived, like LeRoy Mitchell.
“Most of us know who passed away because of COVID,” said Mitchell, who drives a bus for the Clark County school system.
Her sister died from the virus on September 5, 2020.
“If the loss of my sister wasn’t devastating enough for me and my family,” she said, “four months later, COVID hit me in the worst way imaginable. “
His wife discovered him on Jan. 8, 2021, he said. He was unresponsive and sent to the Clark County Regional Medical Center via ambulance then by helicopter to the University of Kentucky Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) in Lexington.
Once there, he says, “I had no time to waste. “Later, her doctors told her that COVID-19 had led to her diabetic coma, the blood clot in her lung, and that she was “trying to shut down my kidneys. “
Then they put him on oxygen. Mitchell spent three weeks in the hospital and then two weeks in rehab. He became weak in the hospital and lost 50 pounds in his ordeal.
“I. . . I like a baby again, a baby stage. I couldn’t do anything for myself,” he said. His road to recovery, with a wheelchair, walker, oxygen tank, and a supportive wife, lasted 8 months. he said.
In the end, Mitchell told Wednesday’s hoards, “COVID lost and I won with my life. “
Beshear signed a proclamation Tuesday designating March 6 as a “Thanksgiving Day. “
In the future, he said, “we want to, as much as we can every year, not just talk about the loss — and loss is important — but also talk about what good can come out of it?”
“Although we are not facing a pandemic, we are still facing demanding situations right now. And if we could just approach them with a little bit of the same, at least try to perceive and love others, then this Global can just be a much bigger place.
March 6 deserves to be a moment of reflection, he said, “where we say we’re passing by to check it out and do it more and more as the years go by. “
Virginia Moore rose to prominence in Kentucky and beyond thanks to her presence at Beshear’s state-televised public information sessions. She stayed by his side for years, interpreting his lyrics in American Sign Language day in and day out.
Moore died in 2023 on Derby Day from complications following heart surgery, which her widow, Rowena Holloway, said were caused by a virus, “most likely” COVID-19.
“Virginia is just a force to be reckoned with,” Holloway said. “She leaves a legacy like very few people I’ve met and it’s not just because she’s my wife. “
At the COVID-19 Memorial, a sculpture by Amanda Mathews on the Capitol grounds that opened in 2023, Holloway feels “the souls and spirits of everyone we’ve lost” to the pandemic.
“A little bit of Virginia is out there too, hovering over that memorial, in these halls, the 30 years she put in with state government, and the love she felt with Gov. Beshear, ” said Holloway.
“In their memory, let’s let love and kindness be our roadmap,” Holloway said. “We all die twice: once when our body gives out and once when people stop mentioning our name. So, keep them all alive. Speak their names.”
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Kentucky Lantern is owned by States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains its editorial independence. Please contact editor Jamie Lucke with any questions: info@kentuckylantern. com. Follow Kentucky Lantern on Facebook and Twitter.
Sarah Ladd is a journalist based in Louisville, Western Kentucky, who has covered everything from crime to higher education. He spent nearly two years in the Courier Journal’s subway breaking news section. In 2020, she began reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic and has been covering fitness ever since. As a fitness reporter for Kentucky Lantern, she focuses on intellectual fitness, LGBTQ issues, child wellness, COVID-19, and more.
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