Brandon Bobbitt
COVID-19
Brandon Bobbitt’s active lifestyle of fishing, golfing and serving as a local police officer came to a screeching halt in 2020. Like many of us, Brandon and his family were navigating life during the pandemic. Unfortunately, Brandon would learn first-hand just how devastating contracting COVID-19 can be.
This diagnosis quickly sent Brandon into a downward spiral of health, including respiratory failure. Initially, Brandon tried to recover at home, but within days of testing positive he was admitted to Hunt Regional Medical Center’s ICU and placed on a ventilator. As his condition worsened, Brandon was transferred to Baylor University Medical Center and placed on ECMO – a life-support machine used to provide oxygen when lungs are unable to function on their own.
Slowly, Brandon began to improve, however his body took a toll as it fought through the virus. He was extremely weak and unable to move or walk on his own. Brandon recalls, “I lost everything in a short amount of time, your mind wants you to get up and go, but you can’t.”
Eighty-two days after testing positive for COVID-19, Brandon was discharged from the hospital and began to focus on the next phase of his recovery. He chose Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation – Dallas (BSWIR-Dallas) to help him relearn daily living tasks such as self-feeding, getting dressed, going to the bathroom and walking.
“I knew Baylor Rehab was the best. I wanted to be pushed, and I was, even if I didn’t want it at times.”
During his recovery at BSWIR-Dallas, Brandon worked extensively with our physical and occupational therapists to recondition his body. Progress came slow at first, but for every hard-fought day, there was a good day. Through steady direction from his therapy team, the good days started to stack up. Eventually there were more steps taken, more goals reached and more good days than bad.
At times, Brandon’s recovery was more mental than physical. Being isolated and unable to see his wife for days at a time due to COVID-19 visitation restrictions. When Brandon was able to reunite with his wife, Memory, she saw progress that was leaps and bounds ahead of when he took that first breath on his own in the hospital.
After discharge from BSWIR-Dallas, Brandon continued his recovery journey with outpatient therapy, where continued to gain strength and independence to return home to his wife and two children. He is looking forward to serving his community again, and simply getting back to normal – which includes being able to fire up a brisket on the smoker and cook for his family.