Dr. Thomas Joseph: Recovery of Relative = Answered Prayer

Dr. Thomas Joseph, an orthopedic surgeon, sports medicine specialist and president of Youngstown Orthopaedic Associates, is hanging tough, along with his family, shown here on vacation last summer. You can read more about Dr. Joseph at the YOA website.

What are some ways the COVID-19 outbreak has changed your work life?

It has certainly decreased the amount of time spent in the workplace, while increasing the amount of time spent at home. Alternative means of patient interaction, such as phone calls and telemedicine, have permitted doctor-patient interaction without face-to-face contact and have become a routine part of our office days. The limited direct patient contact episodes have also been much less personal — this is a result of necessary social distancing precautions (mask use, gloves, avoidance of handshakes, etc.)

How about your personal life?

While the pandemic has resulted in cancellation of vacation, visits with friends and extended family, and routine needs that most of us take for granted (haircuts, dental cleaning, trips to the store), it has forced us to restructure our family life and personal time. Although we weren’t expecting our two older sons to be home from college until May, they have been home completing their semesters online. We have made efforts to eat and pray as a family.

We have played board games and scheduled movie nights. Walks on the hike and bike trail with my wife or sitting fireside in the evening have replaced the concept of a date night. The return to simplicity has been refreshing in that respect.

At the same time, my family has been personally touched by this devastating disease. My father-in-law has been hospitalized for over 30 days with COVID-19. Just recently, he has made incredible and rapid progress. After almost 30 days in a coma and on ventilator support, he has come off the vent and is awake, aware and interactive. He has a long road ahead of him but our prayers have been answered. We have been able to interact with him using FaceTime and with phone calls.

Updates on his progress have been a routine part of every day since he was admitted. I cannot say enough about the nurses, physicians and therapists who have helped him over the past month at St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital. Although it has been very tough on family members who cannot visit their loved ones, I have tried to provide support to my extended family by following his progress via electronic medical record and relaying the information that I receive from his providers.

What steps are you taking to hang tough?

I think that it is important for everyone to find some time for themselves each day. This varies for everyone. Determine what it is that “refills your tank” and try to set a little time aside for that activity. For me, exercise is a big help.

I have been exercising more, trying to eat better and getting caught up on some of those things that you just never find the time to do. Self-reflection is also important and healthy. Sometimes I accomplish this while taking a walk in the woods or by sitting alone outside when the weather is nice. Take advantage of those beautiful days when we get them.

What advice are you sharing with the people you love?

I make sure to remind them how important they are to me. When a loved one is hurting or ill, we feel that hurt, too. It makes you appreciate not only that individual but our entire support system. I try to stress the importance of “balance” to my children and younger friends / family members. We don’t ever want to look back and feel like we neglected someone or something of importance, including ourselves. We have also learned from this pandemic that things can change on a dime. We can’t take anything for granted.