In Rod We Trust

There are many Georgia State alums who are on the frontlines helping us during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is one of those stories that touches much closer to home and was written by Senior Associate Athletic Director Brian Kelly.

July 4, 2018 is a day that changed my family's life forever. For many, it would be just an ordinary Independence Day, the annual Peachtree Road Race, vacationing, cook outs, pool parties, friends, drinks, and fireworks, but for my family it would be the day my wife (Laurie) not only lost her independence, but nearly her life. Laurie suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm out of the clear blue that afternoon. Do me a favor, take a pause from reading right now, snap your fingers. As quickly as your fingers snapped, is as quickly as my wife went from conversing with me to no longer coherent. That's a scary thing, especially when there are no warning signs, and that should give you a nice glimpse of how fragile life can be, and more importantly in this day and age, how quickly life can change for you and your loved ones.

As we go through these COVID-19 times, I have an intimate knowledge/appreciation for those on the front lines from personal experiences through Laurie's journey. Kennestone, Windy Hill, Shepherd Center, Kindred Home Health, Kennestone Out-Patient Rehab, Dr. Hartley (NueroPsyche/Speech Pathologist), Shepherd Pathways, Reisinger Chiropractic, Georgia Podiatry, and Next Step Atlanta, all of the aforementioned hospitals/offices/organizations played or are currently still playing an incredible role in my wife's recovery. They are on the front lines helping patients (and their families from afar) through these tough times.

Laurie was first rushed to Kennestone Hospital that Independence Day in 2018 in the middle of the afternoon. After an insane 8.5 weeks in a medically induced coma, she finally started turning the corner and she was "well enough" to transition to Windy Hill Hospital (just up the street from the Braves new Stadium at Interstate 75 and 285). There is no shortage of people I came across during Laurie's 23-week stay in three different hospitals; doctors, surgeons, nurses, therapists, chaplains, volunteers, janitors, physician assistants, case managers, survivors, priests, deacons, you name it, I met them and still have relationships with many.

However, there was one respiratory therapist in particular that I bonded with while Laurie was at Windy Hill Hospital for five of the 23 weeks. That therapist's name is Rod Farris. Keep in mind, Laurie was unable to speak when she first got to Windy Hill, but she could understand and listen, as she first woke up from her coma. She was able to communicate by blinking and moving her eyes. Rod was a calming presence in my wife's room, coming in every so often to check on her breathing, clear out any blockages, sit and converse, but more importantly, lend a positive word of encouragement. He is just a good man, with a good heart, and even better, a Georgia State University graduate who received a bachelor's degree in Allied Health in 1983.

Rod has done it all and seen it all throughout his career. He said, "This COVID-19 pandemic is eerily similar to that of the HIV breakout in the early 80's. You would have to isolate patients and gear up to head into the room and treat them."

I just can't imagine being a patient or a member of a patient's family in the COVID-19 unit today. Not able to have visitors, and having doctors, nurses, and other staff in full protective gear unable to feel or really see the emotions on one's face. Rod is still able to communicate with his patients either by use of a whiteboard or voice depending on the situation, but it's behind a mask and a shield and at times can be impersonal.
He's the son of a military man who never spent longer than three years of his life in one place until his father retired to Fort Benning in 1971. It was then that Rod had a hankering to do something in the health care industry. He went to junior college originally and thought he wanted to be a physical therapist before ending up at Georgia State pursuing a career in respiratory therapy.

For those of you that don't know (and I hope you never find out), respiratory therapists are in and out of the hospital rooms, multiple times a day, checking ventilators, administering medicine, cleaning trachs, and checking oxygen levels. Very important stuff, but often overlooked in the grand scheme of things. It is possible to see as many as three different respiratory therapists in one day, all monitoring and checking at different times of the day. They have a way of communicating not only with the patients, but also the families that are often times there to be with their loved ones. Now, Rod is probably one of the few people COVID-19 patients see every day, which makes his role even more essential.

Rod is one of the humblest human beings you will ever meet, much like those on the front lines right now, "just doing their job," as they like to say. However, many times they leave out that they are an integral part in many life and death situations. Rod continues to serve Windy Hill Hospital as well as the COVID-19 patients that occupy many of their rooms. One thing you will never hear from Rod is a complaint about what's going on or what's got people down. What you will hear are words of encouragement and an optimistic positive voice of reason. I like to think that's the Panther in him.

Thank you to Rod, and all of the frontline workers, giving families like mine an opportunity to make more memories with their loved ones.

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Players Mentioned

Brian Kelly: SrAssocADEx; Redshirt

Players Mentioned

Brian Kelly
: Redshirt
: SrAssocADEx