NY Community Rallies Behind Volunteer FF with COVID-19

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CAMILLUS, NY—When the illness started, it was very benign. A sore throat, a slight fever of 99, nothing to be concerned about.

Dan Hogan, a Centro bus mechanic and volunteer firefighter and captain with the Warners-Memphis volunteer fire department, felt a little sick but otherwise had a typical day on April 2.

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He went to work, checked on operations at the fire station, went home and did some yard work with his fiancée, Lachell Duval.

The next day, 42-year-old Hogan began worrying that he could have been exposed somewhere, and maybe he had COVID-19. He called the Onondaga County Health Department and his physician and got tested at the Syracuse Community Health Center on April 3.

On April 7, he learned he was positive for the virus and three days later he was taken by ambulance to Crouse Hospital.

He’s been on a ventilator since Easter.

Hogan was healthy other than having diabetes before he became sick, Duval said. They don’t know where Hogan contracted the virus - he had been numerous places in the days prior to his illness, she said.

Duval said Hogan is on a list to get convalescent plasma treatment from recovered coronavirus patients. She also has connected with Jessica Duffy, sister of coronavirus patient Travis Duffy, as the two share similar experiences.

Being stuck at home in isolation with her 15-year-old son adds to the fear and frustration, Duval said. The pair were told to stay in mandatory quarantine, but weren’t tested as they were told they likely have the virus.

Duval, 35, said she has a cough, but thinks that could be allergies. They have no other symptoms, and wish they could get tested to be sure, she said.

Not being able to go the hospital to visit Hogan is difficult.

"I’m stuck at home in my own head, worrying,” she said.

Volunteer firefighters from Hogan’s station and all over Central New York have reached out to support Duval, she said. A volunteer firefighter herself, she gets daily calls from volunteers asking if she needs groceries or anything else, or just checking on her. They have sent her flowers and gift cards.

She provides daily updates on Hogan’s conditions through an app for first responders.

The Camillus Fire Department put up a sign that reads: “Get well soon, Dan. You can beat this.”

"It’s so sweet, but it breaks my heart at the same time,'' she said.

Dan’s 4-year-old beagle, Rusty, is beside himself. He keeps looking for Dan and wouldn’t eat until Duval put his dog food on Dan’s side of the bed.

"I’m a mom too, and it’s hard because my son sees me break down,'' she said. “I have times I just can’t help it.”

Duval said she misses Hogan terribly, and hasn’t spoken to him since the night before Easter - the day after he was admitted.

"He sounded OK then, but he was agitated,'' she said. “He was getting this high flow oxygen, which involves using this big machine and he didn’t like it.”

But he told her he was doing what he was supposed to do.

"He said he kept getting tangled up all in the cords and wires,'' she said. “I told him he’d be OK and to just keep fighting.”

Since then, he has been sedated and can’t talk, she said. He also is flipped on his belly often to help him breathe.

In the several days between his positive COVID test and his hospitalization, Dan didn’t feel that sick at first, Duval said. He developed a slight cough.

But on April 8, his chest began to hurt and he called to ask about going to the hospital. Duval said he was told he wasn’t sick enough to be admitted.

On Friday, the next day, his condition deteriorated fast. He had taken antibiotics, but had an awful headache. He was distraught because he’d been told he shouldn’t go to the hospital, but Duval said when he woke up from a nap shaking, she called 911.

By then, his temperature had shot up to 104. He was then admitted.

Duval said Crouse has been wonderful caring for him and keeping her informed. She hears from his doctor and nurses several times a day.

"I figure no news is good news, and I try not to call all the time because I know they are busy,'' she said.

Duval wants the amusing, kind, funny man she met online five years to return so they can make wedding plans. Their first date was to Smokey Bones restaurant, and they’ve been together ever since.

"He’s so full of laughter, and so sweet and kind,' she said. “He’d help anyone. I just want him to get better.”

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