A Path Forward: Glenney Mahan – WAGM

MARS HILL, Maine (WAGM) –

Since vaccines became available, many have debated whether to get vaccinated, and if it really makes a difference. As we look for a path forward through the pandemic, one county resident learned the importance of listening to experts firsthand.

Before the Pandemic, Glenney Mahan was a man of conviction. A mechanic, marathon runner, and father, Mahan held firm in what he believed in, and as the pandemic began to creep into the American DIFFERENT WORD Mahan wasn’t sure what to believe.

“That was a scary time for a lot of people, because I mean, everything got shut down, I mean. We had no idea what was going on.”

As the months went on, and the public learned more about the coronavirus, Mahan, like many, took precautions, but when vaccines finally became available to the public, he believed it to be a personal choice whether or not to get vaccinated, and Mahan stated he had zero intentions of getting vaccinated.

“I was not vaccinated, and I’m not this political “not get vaccinated” it was my personal choice. In my mind I thought I was gonna get Covid and it was going to be like, sniffle, blow my nose, cough and move on. So then I contracted it. I lost taste, smell, I had the fever. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t keep anything down. And by the time I got to the ER my sodium level was extremely low, like dangerously low and they admitted me right then in the ICU.”

Mahan, who was in between jobs at this point, spent 6 days in the ICU at Northern Light AR Gould and wasn’t able to start working for over a month, he says between lost wages and over 7000 dollars in medical bills, it definitely set him back, but his biggest loss was in his personal fitness.

“Well I love to run, and that was the hardest part for me because I was battling an injury before I went in and I essentially couldn’t run for two months. I lost probably close to 10-15 pounds and I’m not a heavy set guy, and I consider myself healthy. I run 30-35 miles a week, I eat right, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke. I mean I literally had to start walking again starting over to get back, and I’m not even back where I was right now.”

Following Mahan’s hospitalization and recovery, he then made the personal choice to get vaccinated after speaking with his doctor.

“I always have listened to my doctor. You know he’s a professional and that’s his field, so I mean, you try and listen to the professionals. I’m in the automotive industry and people come to me for advice and I give them my professional advice from my years of experience. You just try and listen to people that you trust and know and follow that lead.”

Mahan says he still has a ways to go before he can get back into the same shape he was before his brush with Covid-19, but he says he now puts his trust in his doctor to ensure he’s making the right choice for him.

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