Edward Hellm Jr. died of COVID-19 on April 27, 2020 at the age of 69. He was a veteran who’d served our country, a loving father and husband, and a retiree with lots of friends. He died alone in the hospital on a ventilator.
Edward (Eddie) Hellm, Jr., a 69 year old African American Father of four sons; Husband, Veteran, Retiree & Realtor was fighting the biggest battle of his life – the pandemic infused Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease. On 3/27/20, Mr. Hellm, Jr. visited his primary care Dr. Michael Spezia (near Lucas-Hunt/Natural Bridge Rd.) with complaints of chills and body aches. He was told to rest & prescribed Claritin! 3 days later with the urging of his wife, Eddie called in an uproar about how much pain he was having & chills. He was prescribed an antibiotic & cough medicine with no testing, despite his doctor knowing of other underlying health conditions. The Hellms called the COVID-19 hotline twice expressing their concerns & was told to continue the meds as he most likely had strep throat! These are horrifying examples of disservice which leads to mistrust by black people of those we are expected to entrust our lives to.
3 days later, Mrs. Hellm drove her husband to the ER at Progress West Hospital near their home in O’Fallon, MO. He was immediately sedated, intubated with the ventilator & tested for the virus. 24 hours later results revealed that he was in-fact POSITIVE! 2 days later (04/05/20), Eddie was transported by ambulance to Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJC) to their Intensive Care Unit (ICU). His family is not able to be at his side, but are allowed sporadic video viewings of him via text alerts. Every hospital should follow the Louisiana examples of palliative/hospice care which allows family to visit critically ill coronavirus patients with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
from Black Corona Lives Matter on A Red Circle
Eddie is missed deeply by his wife, adult kids, grandkids, family, many friends, and all those who knew him.
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Thank you for sharing my family’s story. It’s quite devastating seeing the lives of so many people lost due to this virus & mishandling by the government.