At age 39, Joel Martinez seemed to be in pretty good health, despite having Rheumatoid arthritis. However, after contracting COVID-19 on January 31, 2021, he spent most of his time in the hospital.
His original thought was maybe he had bronchitis. Once he tested positive for COVID-19 virus, he thought he would be sick for an average of a week, or so. However, he ended up with double Covid Pneumonia and was admitted into the Madill hospital on February 9, 2021.
On February 11, he was transferred to the Durant hospital. The first few days were looking promising but then he took a turn for the worse. He said that was when he began getting depressed and he felt like his minutes went to hours, hours went to days, and the days went to weeks.
He even shared a moment in his state of depression where he asked the nurses to just let me go, stating how he was tired of gasping for air and struggling to breathe. He said the struggle to breathe became unreal and exhausting for him. There were even a few times where hospital officials called in his wife Vanessa a few times thinking he was not going to make it.
Despite his feeling of lost hope, he said that the nursing staff told him not to lose faith and stay positive.
Throughout his hospital stays, he was in and out of units. He had x-ray after x-ray and test after test with no improvement. They could not figure out why his lung function was declining.
On day 35 of fighting, he was then transferred from the Durant hospital on March 15 to the Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. The new team worked diligently to find the answers. Through the many tests, the hospital officials found that he had Pulmonary Fibrosis Lung Disease from all the damaging virus COVID-19. With this condition, the doctors are saying a that lung transplant is the best option for survival for Martinez.
Pulmonary Fibrosis is a lung disease that occurs when lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred. This thickened, stiff tissue makes it more difficult for your lungs to work properly. Even though they are both still learning about the disease, they know that the transplant is a long and expensive road.
Lungs are actually the hardest organ to get as most are damaged during accidents. The transplant does come with a lot of risks, the major one being organ rejection. A successful lung transplant may improve quality of life. A double-lung transfer can take up to 12 hours, and he could be on the list up to six months. Unfortunately, he cannot go home without the transplant.
Not only that, he will be on twenty-two different medications after the transplant. The Martinez’s have been informed that they are looking at $2,500 for the first round of medication and anywhere from $1500 - $2500 after that for every month for the rest of his life.
Then, he and his family will have to stay in Oklahoma City for at least three months after his transplant. They do offer discounted lodge fees, but even $50 a night for a small apartment ads up quickly.
As difficult and dire as their situation is, they said the support and encouragement from family, friends and coworkers have helped them along the way. Now, they are starting this journey trying to find a new pair of lungs.
Even though Martinez stared death in the face, he said that it is not his greatest fear.
“I've never been afraid of death. In fact, I've seen it a few times,” Martinez said. “My biggest fear was that I failed my kids and family by not being there. I could feel death getting closer I was scared to sleep not knowing if I was going to wake up. Who would have thought that I'd need a transplant from a virus that was said to be like a cold or the flu right?”
“I'm living proof that covid doesn’t care about your age, health, or race,” Martinez continued. “It has no boundaries. I want to thank everyone again for all the encouraging words, prayers, text messages, and the getwell cards. Please continue to send prayers for strength and healing during this difficult journey.”
Martinez and his wife Vanessa Guerrero have been together a little over ten years. They have six kids between them. They are a hardworking family and well known in Madill community.
He is employed with Lowes and she works with INCA.
They are involved with their kids, family, friends, and the community; always being there to help those in need. It has been a struggle for them not being able to see each other every day and for the kids not able to visit at all.
Guerrero said it is more difficult since her husband has been moved.
“When he was in Durant, I was there every single day. Now that he is two hours away, it's harder but I go up three to four times a week,” Guerrero said. “The kids are in school and unfortunately, they aren’t allowed in since he's still in ICU.”
For those that might be interested in helping this sweet family and would like to know, they are currently working on setting everything up with an organization called Help Hope Live, which is the fundraiser though the transplant center.
They also have accounts at the local BancFirst in Madill, Okla. and anyone that would like to help them out can go up there. They also have plans on doing a few other fundraisers throughout the next few months to help with the funds.