Photos: Woman's COVID-19 fight becomes 'symbol of hope'

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Photos: Woman's COVID-19 fight becomes 'symbol of hope'

Lisa Martin's remarkable comeback from COVID-19 inspires others in a South Georgia community.

Lisa Martin, a former school teacher, was released from the hospital in December 2020 after a long battle with COVID-19. She says God and family got her through the first months of suffering from the disease. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Lisa Martin's family is celebrated with a collage of photos near where she and her husband, Jeff, spend most of their time together in their home in Blackshear, Ga. Martin spent 59 days on a ventilator, battling a disease that has killed more than 550,000 people in American. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Lisa Martin’s husband, Jeff, is with her every step of her recovery, including handling communication with their insurance company, doctors' offices, and hospitals. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Because Lisa Martin lost her hair during treatment, she wears wigs while her thick dark hair grows back. Her husband, Jeff, helps his wife with everyday duties, including stepping up as a hairdresser when needed. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Medication and Bible verses help Lisa Martin recover while battling COVID-19. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

The Martins call their home, which sits across the street from their church, a blessing from God. Lisa Martin has not been to a service since she tested positive for COVID-19. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Cuddling with two of her pets, Presley, right, and, Stella, Lisa Martin says love from her family helped her endure the 59 days on a ventilator. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

The last time Lisa Martin painted her toenails was before she tested positive and started treatment for COVID-19. Months later, that same nail polish has grown out to the tips of her toenails. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Lisa Martin’s husband, Jeff, fills this container with her medication every week. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Lisa Martin's husband, Jeff, compliments her natural hair as she changes wigs in the bathroom of their home. She says Jeff's devotion has made it easier to come to terms with her illness and its effects. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Lisa Martin has gotten comfortable wearing wigs, and hangs them next to precious items, like photographs of her daughter Natalie’s wedding. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Battling a disease that has killed more than 2.8 million people worldwide comes with serious effects. Lisa Martin lost her hair during her struggle but won her life back. Now both her hair and her normal life are starting to return. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Lisa Martin continues her long climb back to health by attending her first pulmonary rehabilitation session with Christie Simmons, rehabilitation director for Bacon County Hospital in Alma, Ga. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Christie Simmons encourages Lisa Martin to inhale deeper and fill her lungs during a pulmonary function test. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Lisa Martin takes part in a pulmonary function test as Martin’s daughter, Harper Lee, records the treatment on her cell phone. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Lisa Martin inhales through an incentive spirometer during her first therapy session at Bacon County Hospital. The device measures how much air she can draw into her lungs. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Lisa Martin coughs after taking a pulmonary function test with an incentive spirometer, a device that measures the volume of air she can inhale. Lack of lung capacity is often a problem with COVID-19 patients who have spent weeks on a ventilator. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Lisa Martin's daughter, Harper Lee, stands in the hallway outside the treatment room, and gives family members updates from her cell phone. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

During a short exercise on a recumbent bicycle, pulmonary therapist Christie Simmons checks Lisa Martin’s blood oxygen level and heart rate. Simmons stopped the test after Martin’s blood oxygen levels dropped below 88%. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Overcoming the lung damage caused by COVID-19 starts with short steps on a treadmill for Lisa Martin under the watchful eye of Christie Simmons, pulmonary rehabilitation director for Bacon County Hospital. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Lisa Martin laughs while sharing a story with her daughter, Harper Lee, right, and therapist, Christie Simmons. Outside her rehabilitation appointments in Alma, Lisa shares her experience with other COVID-19 patients and their families, seeking to inspire them, give them helpful guidance and underscore the seriousness of the disease. She and Jeff call these efforts her “ministry of hope and healing.” (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

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Credit: Stephen B. Morton for The Atlanta Journal Constitution

Lisa Martin, a former school teacher, was released from the hospital in December 2020 after a long battle with COVID-19. She says God and family got her through the first months of suffering from the disease. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

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