StemCell Therapy

Judith Lightfoot was managing her illness herself, until she couldnt.

It felt like a bad flu. She was sick to her stomach. She couldnt eat.

I was passing out all over the house said Lightfoot, who is the interim chairperson for Rowan Universitys department of internal medicine, chief of infectious disease and department director for internal medicine.

This was early March and Lightfoot, who was well aware of the COVID-19 virus sweeping across the world, spent two months battling back from it. Her expertise in the medical field and as a survivor of the coronavirus has made her a valued source for NJ Advance Media and other news outlets.

Lightfoot, 57, is a doctor of osteopathic medicine, which differs from a medical doctor in philosophy. Doctors of osteopathic medicine treat their patients holistically and believe that the body can heal itself.

She was on an international jazz cruise in January with her husband when she heard a BBC news report about the virus overtaking Wuhan, China. Her alarm level increased when she saw what happened at the nursing home in Washington State.

I was criticized for saying we should wear masks early on, she said.

By late February, she was angering more people at the university when she vocally opposed letting students travel abroad, she said.

I felt people were trying to discount what I was saying, they just didnt know and they didnt want to think it was going to be this serious, Lightfoot said.

She attended a gala at the Borgata on March 7 and remembers telling her husband that she had a headache and wanted to leave after the awards. Within days she couldnt eat, couldnt drive and lost a clothing-size worth of weight.

Im an avid spinner and I could barely walk around the block, she said. I couldnt lift 5 pounds. I had lost so much weight and muscle mass.

Lightfoot is a former ballerina. Growing up in the Washington, D.C. area she wanted to be a professional dancer, but her father told her she needed to find a job that would allow her to support herself. She was drawn to science and inspired by a teacher who told stories about her husbands work for NASA.

There was also a push to increase the number of female engineers. Mechanical and electrical engineering didnt interest her, but genetic engineering did. That led her to osteopathic medicine. Shes been at Rowan University for almost three years.

Lightfoot had developed pneumonia from the coronavirus by the time she went to the hospital on March 18. I didnt want to go to the hospital because COVID was there, she said.

It took until July for her to regain her full strength. Ive seen every bit of this, Lightfoot said. How it robs you.

You have to rest. The breathing was the hardest -- and trying to survive, she said

Now, that the second wave is here, Lightfoot wants people to know that the cases are just as serious as the first round -- and people are still dying.

Not everyone understands the science, she said. Some people think youre not talking about them when it comes to wearing the mask.

One of her patients rented out a movie theater for 20 of his friends and family. Seven of those who went now have COVID-19.

People are under this perception that their circle is safe. We know who weve been around, Lightfoot said. No one is safe.

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Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com.

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This doctor survived COVID-19 during the first wave. Shes one of the experts we turn to for advice. - NJ.com

This entry was posted on January 2, 2021 at 5:49 pm and is filed under Genetic medicine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |