The New Year has come and gone, and a Cobb County educator remains in the hospital with COVID-19.
Dana Johnson has been hospitalized for more than month with breathing issues stemming from her coronavirus diagnosis and pneumonia in both lungs. Johnson is among at least four Cobb teachers who have battled COVID-19, including Patrick Key, who died Christmas Day following a monthlong stay in the hospital.
According to a Jan. 17 update on the GoFundMe page created to help Johnson’s family pay for medical expenses, the Kemp Elementary School teacher has been having issues with breathing and is still on a ventilator. Doctors are exploring why her breathing has not improved, the GoFundMe page said.
“We, as her prayer warriors, at this time need to think positive and continue the outpouring of love and prayers for Dana and her family (and) friends,” said Josee Levitt, Johnson’s longtime friend who created the page. “We are all holding strong that our girl is continuing to fight, she will fight and she will prevail.”
The GoFundMe goal, which was initially at $20,000, has been increased to $50,000. As of Wednesday, more than $34,900 has been raised for Johnson.
Johnson has been hospitalized since Dec. 6 at WellStar Paulding Hospital’s intensive care unit. Two other teachers, Jacob Furse of Garrett Middle School and Julia Varnedoe of Mount Bethel Elementary School, were hospitalized and treated for COVID-19. Both are recovering at home.
Furse, who teaches chorus and drama, said he is taking his recovery day by day. He hasn’t returned to work, and he still gets winded while walking around the house. Doctors have told him to wait 30 days to determine if he’s fit to return to the classroom.
“I’ve been having mostly good days, but a couple of backward steps every now and then,” he said, adding his doctor said that would happen.
Furse was hospitalized last month in WellStar Kennestone Hospital’s unit for coronavirus patients. His wife, Molly, and their son also got sick, as did his mother, father and brother. His brother and father had to be hospitalized. While they are both recovering, Furse said his father is still on oxygen and is taking physical therapy.
Furse emailed Cobb Superintendent Chris Ragsdale and Board of Education members about his illness. He told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that there has been very little information from the district about how it uses data from Cobb & Douglas Public Health to make decisions, which Furse said has been “very frustrating.”
“I’m sure he has a lot to consider and I won’t claim it is easy to make, but that’s also his job,” Furse said of Ragsdale. “It affects all of us, and it feels like his decisions are being made with parents in mind and not with our safety in mind.”
He also said the district could have used the $12 million it plans to spend on hand sanitizing devices and a product to sterilize classrooms to purchase necessary Wi-Fi hotspots and laptops for students who are learning from home.
Furse, who has asthma, said he knew that he would most likely end up in the hospital if he contacted COVID-19, so he tried to limit his exposure by wearing masks, staying home when it’s possible and practicing social distancing.
“I’ve done everything I can, but there’s only so much I can do when almost 1 out of 100 people in the county has the virus,” he said.
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