“I Was Not Vaccinated Before, But I Am Now!”: Davonne’s COVID-19 Story

On Nov. 15, a week after testing positive for COVID-19, Davonne Witt was “grasping for air.” She knew it was time to go to Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center.

“I was weak, and I felt like something wasn’t right,” Davonne says. She arrived at St. Francis Medical Center not thinking she’d be hospitalized for that long.

“My stay ended up being eight days. I thought I was only going to be there for just a couple,” she shares. “And if I’m being honest, I don’t really remember the first two days. I was out of it.”

On days three and four, her situation started to sink in. Davonne, who was in isolation, started wondering when she could see more people and when she would be able to go home.

“My care team was so nice and friendly, though,” she reveals. “In fact, they were fantastic! They made me feel less alone.”

Once she was able to start moving again, Davonne remembers walking in circles around the room.

“Anything to keep moving,” she says. “My nurses said it would probably help me recover.”

While Davonne was eager to get home, once there, she was overwhelmed with emotions. Her two puppies she had not seen in eight days ran to her. She also noticed changes that had taken place while she’d been away.

“The leaves were off the trees. Things just looked really different, and I didn’t think they would.”

She adds, “I was not vaccinated before, but I am now! I wasn’t a believer in the vaccine beforehand. I said ‘nope.’ But now looking back, the vaccine probably would’ve helped. You never know what will happen and you don’t think about death that often. However, this experience really opened my eyes as to why we need the vaccines.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the COVID-19 vaccine effectively protects against serious sickness that could lead to hospitalization or even death.

“It’s definitely real,” Davonne says about COVID-19. “I was amazed at how quickly it became time to go to the hospital. Go quickly if you start feeling bad, otherwise you might not win the battle. I have encouraged all of my friends who are not vaccinated to get the vaccine, knowing it would have made a difference in how sick I got.”

Learn more about our COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccine efforts.