CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Last year, KCRG-TV9 shared the long and uncertain journey of a Solon man, Alan Stolba, through his battle with COVID-19. Since recovering, he’s made several trips back to the hospital, but not as a patient.
It’s a weird feeling for Stolba to be back on the rehabilitation floor at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids for the first time since being a patient here. It’s the same place he spent numerous days this Spring on his recovery from COVID-19.
“It’s kind of sad yet it’s good [being back here],” Stolba said.
For Stolba, it’s good to see the smiling faces of the healthcare team that aided in his recovery, a debt he can never truly repay. But, he’s doing what he can to try to.
“When I first came I wasn’t supposed to survive, but that never stopped them. They never took no for an answer,” Stolba said. “They kept at it and here I am.”
Days after getting released and going back to his home, Stolba sent thank you cards to the team. When Christmas Eve rolled around, he paid for meals for the workers, and on other days, brought them pizza or candy, and recently donated money to provide them with neck and back massagers.
“I know they work a lot of hours. They work a lot of days and I just want them to know it’s appreciated,” Stolba said.
Aaron Aamodd, an occupational therapist at Mercy, is one of the healthcare workers who worked with Stolba through his journey back to health from the eighth floor in the COVID unit to rehab.
“Catching up with him, and hearing how he’s back to work and living life, that’s really cool to see,” Aamodd said.
Aamodd knows that’s not the case for many, and dealing with the stress of COVID fatigue can be taxing.
“We had really great cases like Alan. Then, you have the other ones where people don’t make it and people lose family members and that’s the hard thing,” Aamodd said. “Just kind of relying on your team is the best way to get through it, talking about the hard times with patients, but also celebrating the good times.”
Aamodd adds that it’s the simple gestures like Stolba’s that can make big impacts.
As for Stolba, he’s back on the road for work as a truck driver but still has some recovering to do.
“I get tired really easy, and it affected my hearing and eyesight,” Stolba said.
However, Stolba said his days of giving back to the people who gave him another chance at life are far from over.
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COVID-19 survivor gives back to Mercy healthcare workers who saved his life - KCRG
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