Stories From COVID Front Lines Shared In Calabasas Town Hall

CALABASAS, CA — On May 1, health care workers and patients recovering from COVID-19 shared their stories in a Zoom town hall organized by the city called “Tales From the Front Lines.” In often emotional testimony, doctors and survivors put a human face on the pandemic by discussing what it was like to go days without being able to breathe, sleep, or walk, wonder if you'll live, and cheer with your colleagues when a patient pulls through.

The panel, moderated by City Manager Gary Lysik, was open to the public and attended by Mayor Alicia Weintraub, Councilmember and former mayor John Bozajian, and Councilmember and former mayor David Shapiro. Dr. Babak Saedi respiratory therapist Rocio Dancer, and COVID survivors Lisa Ann LoBasso, Christopher Jordan (son of Calabasas Director of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Jim Jordan) and Allen Entin shared their stories treating and experiencing COVID.

The panel began with testimony from Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center Pulmonologist Dr. Babak Saedi. Saedi said that the number of patients he’s seen has plateaued in recent weeks, and asked anyone experiencing symptoms to stay home, avoid other people, and try to sleep, eat well, and hydrate as much as possible. If patients experience shortness of breath or dehydration, they should go immediately to the emergency room, where they will be placed in an isolated area to avoid cross-contamination.

Later in the event, Saedi encouraged everyone to get an influenza vaccine and give blood. He also spoke about the efficacy of antibody blood tests, a way of determining whether someone has already been infected with the coronavirus. “Unfortunately, there are probably over 100 different types of antibody tests, and many of them are not good, as far as I know. But every day this is going to change,” he said, noting that most tests are not yet FDA approved, but he thinks many more will be soon. For now, Saedi recommends donating plasma to reputable clinical tests.

Rocio Dancer, a respiratory therapist and neonatal pediatric specialist, spoke about the difficulties of not being able to interact with patients and their families the way she normally does. “With this virus being contagious and visitors not being allowed, you don’t get to know the patient as well,” said Dancer. “You try to be there for the patients, and it’s a little bit sadder, because the patients are alone. You try to help them not only with their breathing, but you try to support them emotionally. When we do have our little success stories, they don’t understand why we’re so happy, but we’re so happy for them, and I know the ICU team and even the ER team when we hear the good stories and the ones that make it out, we’re very excited and happy and tearful almost.” Dancer added that the situation in hospitals has become slightly easier now than it was a month ago due to more experience, equipment, and a stabilizing number of cases.

Bakersfield resident Lisa Ann LoBasso already had asthma and two auto-immune conditions before the coronavirus hit. She pulled her children out of school early, stocked up on supplies, and began self-isolating in mid-March after she began feeling dizzy and exhausted during a breathing test. By March 17, she couldn’t breathe, and could scarcely move. Yet she felt doctors weren’t taking her symptoms seriously and didn’t believe that she had COVID. Eventually she was able to get a test, and learned that she was positive. She also had an abscess tooth and pneumonia-like symptoms. LoBasso received antibiotics, but they didn’t seem to be helping. “I felt like I was going to die,” she said.

She didn’t want to go into the hospital, because her parents and children were also high-risk and she feared for their safety. She stopped taking antibiotics and began taking more vitamins, and her situation stabilized. “I can tell everyone that you need stay mentally and emotionally strong,” said LoBasso. “Me arguing with the doctors and insurance companies that refused to give me my inhaler just weakened us more. You have to keep your mental health and stay strong – this virus will kill you if you don’t.”

Calabasas native Christopher Jordan described his experience getting COVID-19 from his girlfriend. She began displaying COVID symptoms three days before he did. He began experiencing what felt like a cold with chills and aches, but after a few days the symptoms worsened. He had difficulty moving, severe muscle, head, and stomachaches, and went days without sleeping. “Walking ten steps felt I’d just run a mile,” he said. Jordan said that some days he felt okay, while others were terrible. After two weeks, Jordan and his girlfriend’s symptoms began to subside, but he said a sinus issue and mental fog took three and a half weeks to go away.

Tarzana resident and retired OB-GYN Dr. Allen Entin began with a public service announcement that masks are to COVID what condoms were during the AIDS epidemic. Entin began feeling aches and pains a few days after flying home from a conference in Washington, D.C. He went to Tarzana Hospital and got a coronavirus test. His aches worsened, his fever rose to 102, and his oxygen levels dropped. After a few days in the hospital, the fever broke and he went home. He was allowed by the LA County Department of Public Health to leave isolation seven days after his symptoms subsided, but he didn’t want to put anyone else at risk. Even after the Department released him, Entin tested positive two more times. He began slowly leaving isolation only after two more negative tests. He was also the third of three patients to highlight the mental health issues associated with COVID. “Psychologically, there’s a lot of issues. I had a lot of problems with sleeping, and an up and down roller coaster,” he said. “This virus is different than anything we’ve ever seen.”