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Cook: Four words I never expected to hear

Staff photo by Troy Stolt / Bonnie Phillips, a critical care nurse in the medical intensive care unit at Parkridge, is photographed after her shift on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020, in Chattanooga, Tenn.
"Last week, we saw our youngest patient yet die of COVID. She was 22," Phillips said. "It's just very physically and emotionally hard to care for these patients. A lot of them are with us for a long time. We basically try to be their family." — Staff photo by Troy Stolt / Bonnie Phillips, a critical care nurse in the medical intensive care unit at Parkridge, is photographed after her shift on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020, in Chattanooga, Tenn. "Last week, we saw our youngest patient yet die of COVID. She was 22," Phillips said. "It's just very physically and emotionally hard to care for these patients. A lot of them are with us for a long time. We basically try to be their family." Staff photo by Troy Stolt / Bonnie Phillips, a critical care nurse in the medical intensive care unit at Parkridge, is photographed after her shift on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020, in Chattanooga, Tenn. "Last week, we saw our youngest patient yet die of COVID. She was 22," Phillips said. "It's just very physically and emotionally hard to care for these patients. A lot of them are with us for a long time. We basically try to be their family."

By David Cook December 19, 2020 3 min read

On Tuesday, Hamilton County recorded a record 510 positive COVID-19 cases.

I was one of them.

Two days before – Sunday – began quietly. The dog and I went on a long run.

That night, I felt … something.

Monday, the something felt like a cold.