"Be careful what you read"
These are the words of Brian Lee Hitchens, a 46-year-old man who lives in Florida and who has been infected with the coronavirus.
Yet, at the beginning of the health emergency, he was convinced that the pandemic was only a bluff, little more than a banal flu, the result of some worldwide conspiracy.
He gave credit and relaunched the fake conspiracy news on social media that 5G had caused Covid-19.
And on Facebook you can find many posts in which he relies on his faith in God, which he defines as bigger than the virus can ever be.
In consideration of these convictions, he has chosen not to follow the rules imposed by the American government, not to give up on the indications on quarantine, on distancing, on the use of the mask and on any precautions necessary to avoid contagion.
But then, the unpleasant disclosure.
Around the middle of April,the man made it known that both he and his wife Erin were sick at home, that they felt very tired and only wanted to sleep.
On April 18, the two were hospitalized at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center: both tested positive.
From that moment on, a real odyssey began for the spouses.
Brian remained in intensive care for 8 days, although his condition never raised particular concerns.
He had severe pneumonia and was treated with hyperimmune plasma, which facilitated its healing.
More serious, however, the conditions of his wife, who was immediately sedated and subjected to assisted ventilation.
His condition does not improve and it is still unknown if he will survive.
Brian continued to update relatives and friends every day through social networks and on May 13 he wrote this long and significant Facebook post:
Many people still think that the Coronavirus is a fake crisis which at one time I did too and not that I thought it wasn't a real virus going around but at one time I felt that it was blown out of proportion and it wasn't that serious. We kept on watching the news and kept on hearing about the spreading of the Coronavirus and to be honest I didn't really think nothing of it I still thought it was being blown out of proportion until about 4 and 1/2 weeks ago when I started to feel sick and once I started to feel sick I stopped working and stayed home yes I came down with the Coronavirus and a couple days later after I started to not feel good my wife started to not feel good and we stayed at home quarantined and my wife did go to the hospital to get tested and they told her yeah you probably have the coronavirus so go home and quarantine yourself well a few days went by and we both started feeling worse and worse and worse to the point where we barely had any energy left to do anything and all we want to do is sleep. So three weeks ago Sunday we decided not to play around with this anymore and I had just enough energy to drive us to the hospital Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center and we both got confirmed that we had the Coronavirus. They admitted us right away and we both went to ICU. I started feeling better within a few days but my wife got worse to the point where they sedated her and put her on the ventilator. I was never put ventilator and started feeling better feeling stronger never had terrible aches and pains just weak and exhausted. Even now I am feeling better A lot better then a few weeks ago I still have covid-19 and some pneumonia in my lungs and we've been here 3 weeks as of yesterday. As of today my wife is still sedated and on the ventilator with no signs of improving. There were a couple times were they tried to start weaning her off the ventilator but as soon as they've done that her oxygen level dropped and they had to put her back on the ventilator full time. My wife has been sick before in the past quite a few times and she always fought through to get better but now after 3 weeks I have come to accept that my wife may pass away and the peace I have about it is that I know without a shadow of a doubt that she will be going home to be with the Lord but I also do believe in miracles and I'm holding on to the chance that she may get healed but if not I am thankful for her I know we've been married for 8 years. So think about what I wrote and think about if this thing is a fake crisis. This Coronavirus affects people differently. My wife has suffered from different physical ailments which she has overcome before but she sure is struggling and the doctors have said they have had a tough time on getting her better. This thing is nothing to be messed with please listen to the authorities and heed the advice of the experts. We don't have to fear this and by heeding the advice doesn't mean that you fear it that means you're showing wisdom during this epidemic time. Looking back I should have wore a mask in the beginning but I didn't and perhaps I'm paying the price for it now but I know that if it was me that gave it to my wife I know that she forgives me and I know that God forgives me. Whether man forgives me or not that's out of my control but as long as I have the assurance that God forgives me and my wife forgives me I am good. So just think about what I said and if you have to go out please use wisdom and don't be foolish like I was so the same so the same thing won't happen to you like it happened to me and my wife.
Now that, after having experienced it on his skin, the man has understood what the truth is, he has another big problem: his former conspiracy colleagues are violently flinging at him, contesting his story (according to them false, he did not knows on what basis...) and even threatening him with death. Brian published some private conversations and denounced those who wished him and his wife to die.
I hope that this story will end in the best way, that Ms. Erin will recover and come back home.
But I also hope that it can teach something to everyone who believes in fanciful theories or even spreads them without first inquiring about what they are saying.
