DENVER — After going more than a year without being infected with COVID-19, Shane Greene thought she was close to returning to a sense of normalcy.
"I thought I was that one person because I was so careful and I hadn’t been sick this entire time and now I am," the Westminser mother said.
Shane spoke to Denver7 from her hospital bed at St. Anthony North Health Campus. Greene said she started feeling sick at the end of March and tested positive for COVID-19 on March 31.
"It started with like regular cold, flu-like symptoms. The last thing I was thinking I had was COVID. I thought it was just a cold, but it was the chills, the headaches, the fatigue was intense. But I think the worst was not being able to breathe," Greene said.
Her condition worsened and after a week of isolating at home, she knew she had to go to the hospital.
Now, two weeks after she felt her first symptoms, Greene is still on oxygen fighting COVID-19 and pneumonia.
"I miss my children so much. My family — they have been checking on me and they’ve been able to bring me some things up here and that’s been really nice. It is really lonely in here," Greene said.
Her loneliness is made worse as she worries about providing for her family. Greene hasn’t been paid since she tested positive.
Now, as counties loosen restrictions when the state’s COVID-19 dial expires later this week, Greene is worried more families will be in her tough situation.
"I feel like a lot of people feel like just because they haven’t been impacted that they won’t be impacted," she said.
On top of that, Colorado officials are saying the state is seeing its fourth wave of the pandemic.
For now, Greene hopes she can get healthy in order to return to work and hug her children again. Click here to support her through a GoFundMe.