St. John’s Hospital Covid patients receive care and compassion

As the coronavirus pandemic struck the United States in mid-March Far Rockaway residents Abraham Miles and Theresa Murray-Pryor were two of the hundreds that St. John’s Episcopal Hospital treated at that early stage of Covid-19.

Released after multiple-day stays in the Far Rockaway hospital Murray-Pryor, 66, and Miles, 49, are months recovered from the virus and resumed their lives. Each said they experienced excellent treatment from the St. John’s staff.

“I went in the end of March and came out of the hospital April 7,” said Murray-Pryor, who at first was diagnosed with pneumonia, treated then sent. “I had a cough in the beginning, fever in the beginning, a little upset stomach. I took Tylenol. But I couldn’t breathe.”

For Miles it was similar. “End of March, I had all the symptoms, my doctor was treating me with Z-Pak, I had shortness of breath,” he said. “St. John’s saved my life. Nobody was aware of blood clots as symptoms.”

He credited Drs. Daniel Buff and Richard Christenson for saving his life as it was learned from the autopsies being conducted in New York City that blood clots are a Covid-19 symptom. “One-third of the people were dying because of blood clots,” Miles said, adding that he had to be treated with blood thinners for four months after his hospital stay that was five days.

Murray-Pryor, a retired secretary at Beth Israel Medical in Manhattan (now known as Mount Sinai Beth Israel ), said she was treated with oxygen until the day he was released. “Because of a being a senior, I was nervous,” she said, “there were a lot of people on ventilators dealing with Covid, I was concerned.” She is also autoimmune. The body’s immune system produces antibodies that attack normal body tissues.

Having had two prior surgeries at St. John’s, she and the staff were well acquainted. “Everyone knew me and there were no doubts that everyone was going to be attentive,” Murray-Pryor said. “Everyone jumped right in, talked to me at the room door, I couldn’t complain with the service.”

Miles was especially amazed by the care that he received at the hospital. Pointing out that he is an Orthodox Jew, but nobody would known when he brought in to St. John’s as he was wearing a baseball hat on his head not a yarmulke. “I had non-kosher food, I was hungry, I really didn’t care,” said Miles, who works in sales and marketing. “Everyone was getting equal treatment.”

He said the blood thinners knocked him for a loop. “I’m not old, but I’m not young, the blood thinners tires you out,” Miles said, “I was very weak, I had to take naps. It changes you.”

Both have recovered from Covid-19 and rebounded strong. Murray-Pryor said she is taking more vitamins and doing a lot of walking. “Basically life is now better than ever,” she said.

Calling St. John’s a “hidden secret,” Miles said that it is “right up there with other hospitals.” “I’m back to normal, 100 percent,” he said. “God sent me his angels, his very best. I’m back to my regular regimen. The gym and eating healthy.”