Fort Wayne music therapist combats mysterious symptoms of COVID

FORT WAYNE, Indiana (Fort Wayne NBC) – They were well on their way to achieving their goals, but then life threw a curve ball at Colin and Courtney Fassold. A diagnosis of COVID-19 and the mysterious symptoms that followed forced Courtney to fight to reach her 30th birthday.

“I was in the spare bedroom,” she recalls, thinking back to December 5, 2020. “I started to feel something different. I started to breathe faster. The pain I was feeling in my arms and legs was like a burn. I started going in and out to find out what was going on. I texted my husband… and I just said help. “

Colin rushed upstairs. Courtney was in quarantine, but the urgent need to save his wife far outweighed the risk of contracting COVID. “That ten minute drive to the hospital was just a prayer,” Colin says.

A hospital is a familiar place for Colin. He is a nurse who helps treat COVID patients. When the pandemic started, they were more concerned that he would fall ill. “One conversation she and I had was, what if I die from COVID? As a nurse you are sometimes exposed. These are conversations that 29-year-olds don’t. usually do not. “

Courtney was admitted to hospital for 17 days. Doctors then transferred her to rehab where she underwent intensive therapy to regain her ability to speak and walk. She turned to TicTok to help her communicate and get through what had become a very difficult time in her life.

When we first met Courtney in March, she was starting to get back to music, although she was resistant. “Music has been my safe space all my life,” she told us. “I was afraid that when I tried to sing, I might not be able to do it.” But she soon learned that the music would indeed help her in her recovery. In March, we sat down and listened to her play guitar and piano. His version of “Fight Song” left the whole room in tears.

We found her on a sunny Saturday morning downtown. She was there to tackle a goal she set for herself during physical therapy. She succeeded. She hiked the four-mile Fort 4 Fitness event with therapists, nurses and family members who had helped her recover from the mysterious symptoms that nearly claimed her life.

As a music therapist, Courtney is used to helping others. Her journey to recovery forced her to take on a different role. “I don’t usually ask for help, and all of this has taught me that there is nothing wrong with asking for help,” she says. “People are ready to help and they will always support me.”