Lee student Hannah Hedgepeth shares her experience with COVID-19
All photos courtesy of Hannah Hedgepeth
When Hannah Hedgepeth, a senior intercultural studies major, and her friends began planning their final independent Spring Break trip before graduation, a pandemic was nowhere in sight. However, as their departure date grew closer, so did the novel coronavirus.
The first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was reported in January, and the first case found in Tennessee was announced just a few days before Hedgepeth and her friends left the country. Even with the news that the virus was spreading, Hedgepeth said she didn’t think too much of it.
When the group arrived in Barcelona, Hedgepeth said they were especially cautious, wiping down almost everything they touched with Clorox wipes and continuously washing their hands.
Hedgepeth said there was a lack of crowds as they began to explore Barcelona.
“We never really hit crowds at all,” Hedgepeth said. “There wasn’t tons of people out. There were still definitely people moving around and living their normal life, and everything was still open.”
Hedgepeth said the city featured gorgeous architecture, great food, interesting museums and beautiful sunsets.
Once their time in Barcelona was done, the group got on a bus headed to France. As they checked into their Airbnb, their phones began to erupt with messages from friends back in the U.S. — all with a similar message of, “Are you okay? Are you going to be able to come home?”
It was at that moment Hedgepeth and her friends began to tune into President Donald Trump’s livestream, stating he would temporarily close immigration into the U.S. in less than 24 hours.
According to Hedgepeth, the group made the call to book tickets to London, because the United Kingdom was not yet included in the travel ban. It wasn’t until later that they found out the travel ban did not apply to Americans.
“It was completely unexpected,” Hedgepeth said. “It was like another trip almost.”
After staying in London for a few days, the group booked a connector flight back to the U.S. Upon their arrival in Atlanta, the group was screened for COVID-19.
“We landed in Atlanta, and the CDC people boarded the plane in masks and bodysuits,” Hedgepeth said. “[They] gave us a piece of paper, and we had to fill out with where we’d been and if we had any symptoms. None of us had symptoms at that point, so, when we got off the plane, you just handed them the paper.”
“We asked, ‘Do we need to quarantine?’ and they said, ‘No,’” Hedgepeth said.
Once at her off-campus home, Hedgepeth decided to self-quarantine. The next morning, she said she began experiencing symptoms. Fortunately, Hedgepeth was the only one out of her group who experienced any symptoms.
“I woke up, and I felt awful,” Hedgepeth said. “I had really bad chills. My body ached, and my skin was really icky-feeling. I felt like I had a fever, but I didn’t have one when I woke up.”
By 6 p.m. that night, Hedgepeth was completely isolated with a fever of 100.6 degrees Fahrenheit. After testing negative for flu and strep-throat at Lee University’s Health Clinic, Hedgepeth was sent to a clinic providing testing for COVID-19.
“I never left my car,” Hedgepeth said. “They just made me roll my window down, and [they] stuck the thing through my nose, through the window, and they pulled it out. They said, ‘It’ll take 3-5 days to get back with your test.’”
14 days after testing, Hedgepeth’s test came back positive, but at that point, she was no longer contagious.
“I was so frustrated at that point,” Hedgepeth said. “I just wanted to know. It was driving me crazy.”
During her 14-day quarantine, other symptoms that Hedgepeth experienced included a slight cough, congestion and loss of smell and taste.
“That [loss of taste and smell] stayed the longest,” Hedgepeth said. “[It] was there for the full 14 days.”
According to Hedgepeth, the isolation she experienced during quarantine, coupled with the extended wait for her test results, was the worst aspect of her experience.
After receiving the “all clear,” Hedgepeth traveled back to her home state of North Carolina where she was met by family with open arms.
Although this was an unconventional finale to her time at Lee, Hedgepeth said she was happy with the way it ended.
“This trip and then the two weeks that we just played after I got out of quarantine … It was the best way ever to end senior year, because I ended it with my best friends,” Hedgepeth said. “It’s been crazy, and the world is nuts right now, but for me and my small world and my small community, I got to end it — my time at Lee University — with the people that made it my Lee.”
