NEW ALBANY, Ohio — By all accounts, Hayley Deeter is a walking miracle.
The New Albany business owner survived a battle with COVID-19 that nearly took her life.
Now, nearly a year later, Deeter is reflecting on her journey as a COVID-19 long hauler. She’ sharing why the battle to get healthy isn't over and the added reason she's so grateful to be alive.
In a study from the University of Washington published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, approximately 33% percent of COVID-19 patients reported symptoms lasting more than one month. They’re what people call “long haulers”.
Deeter first shared her story with 10TV in November 2020, six months after doctors gave her a 50/50 chance to live through the night after contracting COVID-19.
You'll see Deeter in her art gallery, Hayley Gallery, on most days, promoting talented artists while working with her son.
But 11 months ago, Hayley didn't even know if she'd live to see another day, after ending up in the ICU with COVID-19.
"I knew I was dying, it was obvious to me I was dying. I had actually let go," she said.
In her serious condition, she even saw her family who passed.
"I was pretty delirious, when I had a near-death experience, I saw my brother and father. I was hovering over myself. I kind of saw what was going on," Deeter said.
Her nurse at St. Ann's Hospital, Kathy Walston said she knew Hayley's chances of pulling through weren't good.
"She was probably 75/25 or 80/20 there for a while, she was very sick," Walston said.
So sick, Hayley said her goodbyes to her family, including her daughter Amanda Weinper who drove in from Chicago.
"I didn't know how to feel, I started thinking about all these events I didn't want her to miss," Weinper said.
But by some miracle, Hayley pulled through, showing the strong-willed attitude everyone describes her to have. Including Walston, who was by her side every step of the way.
At some point, Deeter felt well enough to wave to her daughter, who was smiling on the other side of the hospital room window.
"What's funny is that you can't turn my mom off. She sold a painting to her doctor or nurse, while she's in the ICU she's still making sales," Weinper said.
But almost a year later, Deeter’s battle with COVID-19 is far from over. She went from walking 15,000 steps a day to having difficulty breathing, one of several symptoms “long haulers” report feeling, along with fatigue, headaches, cough and difficulty concentrating.
"I still can't take a full breath, which is very troubling, I'm a scuba diver," Deeter said. "I get heart palpitations, I have COVID brain, there are sometimes I think about something and my thoughts go blank."
What hasn't gone away, Deeter said, is her passion for living life to the fullest with her loving family, her positive attitude and an added sense of her purpose to stay on this earth longer than she expected.
"God has other plans for me. I'm going to achieve those plans. I'm going to be grateful for every day and I'm going to hug my kids as much as I can," she said.
Deeter was so grateful for her nurse that she gave Walston a glass heart as a gift from the gallery.
Walston said she keeps the glass heart where she can see it every day.
Deter also said she was excited to visit her daughter in Chicago just last month.