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| © WICS/WRSP Betty Draper walks into her house on Wednesday after spending two weeks in the hospital with Covid-19. |
By David Williams, CNN
Friends and family lined Betty Draper's street to cheer as a bright yellow Jeep brought the 99-year-old home after two weeks in the hospital battling Covid-19.
Draper used her walker on Wednesday to get from the carport into her Springfield, Illinois, house.
There were balloons and a huge banner that said, "Welcome Home Betty Jane!" and loved ones waved homemade signs with messages like "Draper strong", "99! Stronger than COVID-19!" and "Grandma beat Covid."
Everyone kept their distance and some people stayed in their cars and honked their horns to show their support.
"It was like a circus," Draper told CNN. "It's pretty exciting. Pretty much the most exciting thing that's happened to me in my life."
She'd been at Springfield's Memorial Medical Center for two weeks and spent a little bit of time in intensive care because she had an irregular heartbeat. She never had to go on a ventilator.
"I've never been that sick before," she said. "Didn't really hurt any place, I just couldn't get my breath."
Her son Sam Draper, said it was a scary time for the family, but the hospital had an iPad for his mom, so they could talk over FaceTime.
"It meant a lot to be able to see her," he said.
Betty Draper said she's still on oxygen, and has a little bit of congestion, but that's going away.
"I'm feeling much better. I'm feeling much better every day. Moving around better," she said. "I'm well taken of."
Two daughters-in-law are taking turns staying with her, so she has someone caring for her day and night.
One of the first things she wanted when she got home was a Steak 'n Shake hamburger and a milkshake.
Draper said she has no idea how she got coronavirus and that the only places she'd been were her church and Walmart. None of her family members have gotten sick.
She's not officially under quarantine, but her son said the family is limiting visitors to give her a chance to get settled in at home.
"We're such a large family and I don't want her to be inundated with visitors," Sam Draper said.
The family didn't find out she was going to get to come home until the day before she was released, her granddaughter Kim Draper said.
"That's when I busted butt and made a bunch of signs," she said. "I put out a blast on Facebook saying we wanted as many people as we can to line the street."
There have been 16,424 coronavirus cases reported in Illinois and 529 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Springfield Memorial has treated a dozen Covid-19 patients, a hospital spokesman told CNN.
Older adults seem to be at higher risk of suffering serious complications from the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kim Draper says she hopes her grandmother's story is comforting for people, who are worried about their loved ones getting coronavirus.
"You've got to have hope. I mean, no two patients are the same, but you just have to pray and be there, and it's not a death sentence," she said.
She said her grandmother turns 100 in September and the family is planning a big bash. Betty Draper has already booked a room at her church for the party.
See more at CNN
Friends and family lined Betty Draper's street to cheer as a bright yellow Jeep brought the 99-year-old home after two weeks in the hospital battling Covid-19.
Draper used her walker on Wednesday to get from the carport into her Springfield, Illinois, house.
There were balloons and a huge banner that said, "Welcome Home Betty Jane!" and loved ones waved homemade signs with messages like "Draper strong", "99! Stronger than COVID-19!" and "Grandma beat Covid."
Everyone kept their distance and some people stayed in their cars and honked their horns to show their support.
"It was like a circus," Draper told CNN. "It's pretty exciting. Pretty much the most exciting thing that's happened to me in my life."
She'd been at Springfield's Memorial Medical Center for two weeks and spent a little bit of time in intensive care because she had an irregular heartbeat. She never had to go on a ventilator.
"I've never been that sick before," she said. "Didn't really hurt any place, I just couldn't get my breath."
Her son Sam Draper, said it was a scary time for the family, but the hospital had an iPad for his mom, so they could talk over FaceTime.
"It meant a lot to be able to see her," he said.
Betty Draper said she's still on oxygen, and has a little bit of congestion, but that's going away.
"I'm feeling much better. I'm feeling much better every day. Moving around better," she said. "I'm well taken of."
Two daughters-in-law are taking turns staying with her, so she has someone caring for her day and night.
One of the first things she wanted when she got home was a Steak 'n Shake hamburger and a milkshake.
Draper said she has no idea how she got coronavirus and that the only places she'd been were her church and Walmart. None of her family members have gotten sick.
She's not officially under quarantine, but her son said the family is limiting visitors to give her a chance to get settled in at home.
"We're such a large family and I don't want her to be inundated with visitors," Sam Draper said.
The family didn't find out she was going to get to come home until the day before she was released, her granddaughter Kim Draper said.
"That's when I busted butt and made a bunch of signs," she said. "I put out a blast on Facebook saying we wanted as many people as we can to line the street."
There have been 16,424 coronavirus cases reported in Illinois and 529 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Springfield Memorial has treated a dozen Covid-19 patients, a hospital spokesman told CNN.
Older adults seem to be at higher risk of suffering serious complications from the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kim Draper says she hopes her grandmother's story is comforting for people, who are worried about their loved ones getting coronavirus.
"You've got to have hope. I mean, no two patients are the same, but you just have to pray and be there, and it's not a death sentence," she said.
She said her grandmother turns 100 in September and the family is planning a big bash. Betty Draper has already booked a room at her church for the party.
See more at CNN
