MANCHESTER, Connecticut — The celebration on the front lawn outside Manchester Memorial Hospital for Edith Meister wasn’t only to celebrate a milestone but to honor a special woman beating the odds.
"Edith you are a hero," said Dr. Saud Anwar.
Meister, 91, accompanied by her daughter and grandson was discharged from Manchester Memorial as the 100th COVID-19 patient to do so.
"It truly takes a village and you see this is the village," said Dr. Anwar surrounded by dozens of hospital staff. That village consists of doctors, nurses and other physicians who stayed by Edith’s side to help her defy the odds.
"I just want to thank everyone that helped take care of me," said Meister. "There’s more than one person that did this."
Meister’s daughter Susan Franklin picked up the Brooklyn native six-weeks-ago to bring her to Manchester Memorial when she began showing signs of the virus. Meister is a strong and spry 91. She teaches zumba classes three times a week for seniors. COVID-19 weakened her to the point of respiratory failure with multiple organs in danger. She was put on a ventilator for two and a half weeks.
"There were quite a few times when she was on a ventilator they weren’t sure they can get her off," said Franklin.
Meister’s Doctors credit her great health for battling off the debilitating virus and recovering to nearly full strength after a couple of weeks of rehabilitation.
"Thank you. A heartfelt thank you. It means so much," said Frankiln. "It’s unbelievable to have these minutes with my mom now. I haven’t seen her in so long, so thank you."
Doctor’s say Meister’s recovery is an example of trusting the science and new treatments that are helping more patients recover.
"We lose some battles, but we are winning more battles," said Dr. Anwar. "When we look at our capacity, we are proud to say we are doing very well."
Meister is on her way to Glastonbury Healthcare to recover a bit more before heading home. Her family believes she’ll be running a zumba class there soon.