COVID-19 Patient Praises Hospital Housekeeper as Good Medicine

Bond between patient and housekeeper becomes part of the cure

June 15, 2020

Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Jason Denney is one of many who was diagnosed with COVID-19. Along with his doctors and nurses, he credits a hospital housekeeper with helping him survive.

Denney, who was a patient in an Orlando, Florida hospital, was so ill a Catholic priest visited him to administer last rites, CNN reports. As Denney was not allowed any visitors, he said what he thought would be his final goodbye to his family via FaceTime. However, Rosaura Quinteros, a hospital housekeeper who visited Denney’s room each day, encouraged him not to give up hope. 

As the visits continued,  Denney, who was born in England, and Quinteros, who was born in Guatamala, realized they had more in common than they previously thought. In the beginning, they only conversed in small talk to distract Denney from his pain. As time went on, the conversations grew deeper with topics such as their families and faith.

“I don’t think she realized at the time what she was doing for me,” Denney told CNN in recent interview. “She was saving my life.”

When Denney was released from the hospital, he reached out and thanked her, with hopes to someday meet her family and treat them to dinner.

Denney says Quitneros was his beacon of hope during his time spent in the hospital.

“People don’t realize that in their brief engagements with other people, the words you say matter. And in the situation I was in, they really matter” Denney said.

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