After two near-death experiences, JJ Anderson is thankful this year just to be here to celebrate the holidays with his loved ones.
Anderson is still recovering from a severe bout of COVID-19, complications of which left him with a 5% survival chance at one point and in a medically induced coma for 16 days. But it’s not the first time Anderson has defied death. He was also caught in the 2011 Joplin tornado, an EF5 that killed 161 people, including three in the Walmart where he took shelter.
A fundraiser was held recently in Poplar Bluff to help Anderson, who had hefty medical bills after a 26-day stay in the hospital this year and is still suffering from the aftereffects of his illness.
Beyond gratitude for the donations and family, Anderson is just thankful to be breathing.
“I’m thankful to be alive. God’s allowed me to do that,” said Anderson, a former Poplar Bluff resident who now lives in Cape Girardeau. “I feel like he’s not done with me.”
His sister, Michelle Latham, pictured at right with her brother, echoed that sentiment, “I think God’s got big, big plans for him. He just keeps defying death.”
Anderson, now an American Family Insurance agent in Cape Girardeau, caught COVID in late July. He managed at home for 10 days with mild symptoms before things suddenly took a turn.
“My symptoms started off kind of just minor, and then all of a sudden it got pretty major — my breathing got really restricted, my oxygen was pretty low. I was having trouble breathing,” he said. “So we called an ambulance ... They had to help me to the ambulance because I couldn’t make it down the stairs myself.”
His infection had expanded into a trifecta of pneumonia, asphyxia and COVID-19, a diagnosis with a 5% survival rate. Anderson was admitted to the ICU as his blood oxygen levels continued to drop, sinking into the high 60s. Healthy levels are around 97%. Doctors, fearing brain damage, put him in a medically induced coma for the next 16 days.
“My thoughts were, we have to fight for him, we have to be his voice,” said Latham, “Because he didn’t have a voice at that time.”
His family never left his side while he was unconscious.
“While I was out, my wife was there every day, singing to me, playing music, rubbing my legs and just doing what she could to make sure I knew she was still there,” Anderson related.
This was Anderson’s second brush with death. He also survived the horrific EF5 tornado that ripped apart Joplin in 2011, killing 161 people. He and his son, Rowan, were shopping at Walmart when the tornado hit the building.
“The lights went off, then came back on because of the backup generators. And then probably five seconds after that, the tornado hit the Walmart, took the roof up,” he said.
The two were fortunately in the back of the building. Anderson threw Rowan to the ground, shielding him with his body as the wind swept them back and forth across the floor “like an eraser,” he recalled.
Astonishingly, both walked away with only scratches. The Joplin Globe reported the storm killed three people in the store.
Anderson’s apartment sat in the storm’s path and was also demolished. He and his son hitchhiked to the Sara Lee depot, where Anderson worked, and a coworker took them back to his home to shower and change clothes. The experience changed Anderson’s outlook on life.
“When I worked for Sara Lee, I was probably working anywhere from 90 hours a week to more, I wasn’t spending that much time with my family. So I changed that,” he said.
He moved back to Poplar Bluff, his hometown, and later relocated to Cape Girardeau, where Latham runs an American Family Insurance office.
Anderson’s second near-death experience in the hospital ended much like his first, with a narrow escape. When the risk of brain damage passed, doctors slowly brought Anderson out of his coma. Against all odds, he had not only survived, but was soon on the mend.
“They were just astonished that I lived, but even more so how fast I recovered,” he said.
He had his doctors take him off of all medications except vitamins, after which he said his recovery progressed quickly. He was able to be moved from the ICU within a few days of waking up. Finally, after 26 days in the hospital, Anderson was allowed to go home.
His ordeal left long-term effects. He lost 40 lbs, all muscle. An incorrectly inserted IV in his hand missed the vein and diffused fluid in the surrounding tissue in a process called infiltration, which caused his hand to swell severely and damaged the ulnar nerve, resulting in ongoing pain and numbness. He had surgery earlier in the month to alleviate the discomfort, but was still recovering at the time of this article.
COVID-19 cases fall on a wide range of barely-there to severe, but the insidious thing about the illness is it attacks an individual’s weaknesses seemingly without regard to their general health, Anderson said.
“You know, there’s light cases, heavy cases. It can affect everyone in a different way. What affects me doesn’t affect someone else,” he said. “I can tell you that everything bounces off of me ... This thing kicked my tail. It attacks your weakness, and my weakness was probably the respiratory (system) due to the fact I had asthma when I was a kid.”
Anderson has advice for anyone who may get sick with COVID.
“Keep a close look on (your) oxygen ... go to the local drugstore and buy one of those little oxygen things (oximeter) to snap on your finger on the end and show your oxygen. If that gets down below 90, maybe just start thinking about going to the doctor. Don’t let the breathing get that far down,” he insisted.
Support from Anderson’s family continued after he went home. Insurance covered Anderson’s hospital stay after a point, but he was still saddled with a hefty bill. To help, his cousins Geoff Anderson and Carolyn Cowin, plus Latham and their younger sister Megan Anderson, organized a benefit at Haffy’s Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Poplar Bluff. Anderson was floored by the generosity from the 140 attendees, local musicians who played for free and businesses who donated raffle items.
“The benefit was magnificent. It turned out very good. In fact, it helped with most of the cost of what we needed,” he said.
Businesses who contributed items were American Family Insurance, Earl’s Diner, Lemonade House Grille, Bullwinkle’s Rustic Lodge, Richard’s Roadware, Sunset Pool and Spa, Southeast Signs, Tattitude Studios, Mike & Zach’s BBQ, Maurice’s, Planet Fitness, Appearances Salon, Serenity Spa and Newman Amusement.
“Thank you to everyone who came out and supported him,” said Latham.