Kentucky realtor details ongoing, month-long battle with coronavirus

Geoff Brewer says his symptoms stared on July 3.
Published: Jul. 31, 2020 at 5:52 PM EDT
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – A Kentucky realtor has now been fighting COVID-19 for almost a month. Geoff Brewer shared his story with others in his industry during a town hall meeting this week.

A recent spike in coronavirus cases is producing a surge in people seeking tests.
A recent spike in coronavirus cases is producing a surge in people seeking tests.(Source: James Thomas, WAVE 3 News)

During the event hosted by Kentucky Realtors, an association that represents more than 11,600 across the state, Brewer detailed how coronavirus has changed his life over the past 27 days.

"I can tell you it's not easy," Brewer said. "It was Friday morning, the 3rd of July. I woke up and I kind of had an itchy throat. So, I took some Zyrtec, just thinking it was allergies or whatever. By that night at about 7 o'clock, I was trying to put an offer to purchase together. I was so sick I couldn't even get through on Dotloop to put it together."

Over that weekend, Brewer said he'd spent most of his time in bed and couldn't breathe. So, he went to the E.R.

"I had a temperature of 103 for about seven straight days," Brewer said. "It was not fun. I experienced having a body rash from head to toe. It kind of felt like I had poison oak. Extreme migraine. I had a migraine for about four days straight, while I was in there."

In total, Brewer was hospitalized for 11 days.

Brewer said his wife, son, and daughter all got the virus too, but each with differing levels of symptoms. Brewer adds he took precautions and doesn’t know how he got coronavirus.

Now home, after being released from the hospital, the realtor describes the fatigue as unrelenting and said it feels like an elephant is on his chest.

Geoff Brewer was hospitalized for 11 days after contracting coronavirus.
Geoff Brewer was hospitalized for 11 days after contracting coronavirus.(Source: Mike Fussell, WAVE 3 News)

“Generally, I’m pretty tough,” Brewer said. “I don’t go to the doctor a lot. I’m 43 years old and I’ve never been this sick in my life. The thing is, in my mind, I want to do stuff. When you’re not able to walk room to room, it gets pretty frustrating to be honest with you. It definitely takes a mental toll on you as much as it does a physical toll.”

A nightmare he wants no one else to have to go through.

"I don't wish this on anyone," Brewer said. "It's a terrible thing. It's hard to get over."

Brewer said he no longer gets fevers but is still worn out and coughing.

Organizers of the Kentucky Realtor event said they wanted to their part to provide important information during the pandemic and encourage people to take precautions.

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