In nearly 20 years of operating the Milford Pharmacy, Charlie and Angie Pierce only closed one day. As the pandemic drifted into Nebraska and the first cases in Seward County were confirmed, the Milford Pharmacy remained open. A reliable community institution, dedicated serving the people of Milford.
Then the coronavirus came home with them.
Charlie and Angie, as well as their son, all contracted COVID-19. They continued to operate the pharmacy. Then Angie took her husband and drove to Seward, directly to the emergency room at Memorial Health Care System. That forced the pharmacy to close the majority of the three weeks Charlie was in and out of hospitals. As Milford's businesses navigate an economic rebound stemming from the pandemic, one of its essential businesses has recovered in a different way as Charlie continues his own recovery.
“We've now just reduced our hours because he's still trying to get his strength back,” Angie said. “Not sure how long that will go on.”
Admittedly, the Milford Pharmacy didn't require masks at the pandemic's start. In fact, the only change to the business that either remembered being made was the addition of curbside service if a customer was more comfortable with that.
They saw the political divide develop around masks and abstained. Angie still said she thought it was weird how a personal choice like that became politicized.
Part of Angie's mind drifted towards late 2019 when Milford was hit as part of a particularly harsh flu season. Those were busy days for the pharmacy.
Then, over the summer, Angie and their son, Andrew, tested positive for coronavirus on the same day. Two days later, Charlie spiked a 102-degree fever.
“So I pretty much knew what was going to happen,” Charlie said. “I went and got tested and I was positive.”
He felt good to start his 10-day isolation period. He said his days were “just puttering around the house and doing my usual guy stuff.”
Then he started sleeping more. He got increasingly drowsy. Then, his health took a more severe turn.
“Here's where I was really stupid, especially being a pharmacist, I started coughing up blood,” Charlie said. “It wasn't just a little, it was quite significant.”
Charlie resolved to “ride it out.” On the final day of his isolation period – a Saturday morning he remembered clearly – he and Angie worked behind the counter at the pharmacy. Charlie didn't feel right. He couldn't operate the computer. Angie looked at her husband and knew something was wrong.
“We're taking you to the ER,” she told him.
From the emergency room in Seward he was transferred to Bryan West and stayed for six days. Charlie returned home only to contract pneumonia. He was admitted back to Bryan West for another three days.
During his recovery, Charlie started researching the disease more. Doctors have begun calling his symptom pattern “happy hypoxia.” That's where oxygen levels in coronavirus patients drops, so the blood-oxygen level drops as well, and they feel comfortable. That experience has given Charlie advice attached to the pandemic.
“You can become seriously ill without having any outward symptoms,” he said, “but as time goes on you're getting less and less oxygen in your blood and it affects your brain. You have lack of oxygen and you can't function. I had a fever for a day and a half but other than that I didn't have symptoms, just fatigue and sleep.”
Charlie was never placed on a ventilator but couldn't imagine what would happen if he waited any longer to seek medical attention. Maybe he would even be here, he said.
Charlie's since started his recovery. He's regaining strength slowly, and so has the pharmacy. While Charlie was in and out of the hospital the pharmacy opened only a day or two per week, Angie said.
“It was very sporadic,” she said.
With hours slowly drifting back towards normal, both the importance of Charlie's health and the pharmacy have come into focus. The two have continued to keep the pharmacy open as much as possible to serve the community.
The pharmacy does require masks be worn inside now. An envelope filled with individually-wrapped masks has been taped to the pharmacy's front door.
“I don't know the answer to the politics but I believe in the masks now,” she said.
