Michael Lee Hood – Midwest City, OK
Died: September 26th, 2021
Oklahoma City VA Hospital – Oklahoma City, OK
Michael’s story is being told by his sister Sue. Michael was born May 17, 1962 in Neubrucke, West Germany to Earl and Ruth Hood. Earl was stationed with the US Army at Baumholder Germany when he met Ruth. Michael was the oldest of 4 kids and the only boy. He would tease his sisters constantly. After we lost our sisters, it was just Mike and myself that were left and we stayed close. Michael was a free spirit who loved helping others. His generosity extended beyond his family to helping others that he saw on the side of the highway. He never failed to stop and assist as needed. He didn’t have much but did a lot with what he had. He would give the shirt off his back to help someone in need. He had 5 kids and loved them all. I think if he had any favorites, it would have been Mat Hasty. They had just recently reconnected and were working on building their relationship and he was ecstatic about it. Michael loved going to yard sales, flea markets, eating out, and every evening coming to play cards at my home. That seemed to be the highlight of his day. Yes, he would cheat if he could get away with it but he was a good card player and we certainly miss him. Playing cards now is very hard as I always look over to my right, where he would always sit, and imagine him sitting there, picking on me yet again. Michael enlisted in the US Army to serve his country and it was his country that let him down.
Michael was my brother and he didn’t have to die. The middle of Sept this past year, we all became sick with the same symptoms and this included my brother and his girlfriend Ronda. For us, after trying home treatments for a week and still not feeling well, we went to the doctor on the 15th of Sept where she prescribed ivermectin, doxycycline, and steroids for us. We were diagnosed with pneumonia, strep and I myself had a double ear infection on top of all of the above. My father, who lives with us, was also prescribed a nebulizer to help with his breathing as he was 79 at the time and the pneumonia took a toll on his body.
I was texting Michael and Ronda daily to see how they were doing and they were feeling under the weather. At one point, Michael told me he was starting to feel better and that Ronda was still sick. I didn’t think anything of it since we had all been sick.
On the 11th of Sept, he went to Target down the street to get some NyQuil so I thought he was feeling better. Once we had been on antibiotics a few days, I was feeling well enough to head over to my brother’s house to check on him and Ronda. I brought over chicken noodle soup and left it at the door since I wasn’t completely recovered myself.
The 17th of Sept, I went to see my brother and his oxygen level was in the low 90’s high 80’s. He was walking and talking and just felt tired he said. He wasn’t eating. I took him and Ronda to Family First Urgent Care in Yukon and they were both in there for an hour and a half. Ronda sent us a text that they were ready to be picked up so we went to get them and she said they needed to go to Target by their house to get their medications.
We dropped Michael off at the house first and left to go get their prescriptions filled. When it came time to pick up the medications, I looked at what Ronda had picked up and it was all for her so I asked her where was Michael’s medication and she said they were still working on his so I asked why was it taking so long and she said she didn’t know so I told her I was going to call the urgent care to see what’s going on and that’s when she backpedaled and said that maybe she heard them wrong and that he didn’t have any meds to pick up, that he was told to go to the ER. That upset me so we took her home where I told Michael that I was coming back the next day with antibiotics, and a nebulizer.
I went back to his house the 18th only to find his oxygen down into the low 60’s so took him to Oklahoma ER hospital where he spent 6 hrs. They discharged him with an oxygen tank, steroids, and antibiotics. He said he was feeling much better so we were hopeful. I started Michael on Ivermectin, Doxycycline, and steroids Tuesday the 21st of Sept so I felt he finally had a fighting chance. We continued monitoring him for the next few days and I asked him if he would mind if I paid for a hydration infusion via IV and he said that would be great. So I had an appointment for hm on Wednesday the 22nd of Sept and the guy showed up and instead of giving Michael the IV, he told my brother that he needed to go to the Er and convinced both Michael and Ronda that he needed to be in the hospital.
Ronda told me this via FB messenger and I told her NO HOSPITAL. We got into a heated argument and she stopped talking to me and I told her I didn’t get to say goodbye to my brother. Michael was admitted Wednesday the 22nd of Sept to at the VA hospital in Oklahoma City. They immediately wanted to vent him and he said NO. I called and spoke with a male nurse by the name of David and told him we did NOT want Michael given REMDESIVIR. He said ok.
Thursday, the 23rd, they called Ronda and wanted her to come to ICU to convince Michael to be put on a ventilator. She went but she said it wasn’t to convince Michael to be put on a vent but to see him. She also told them she had a medical power of attorney and that he wasn’t to receive any REMDESIVIR or be put on a vent. They told her that if he refused to be vented, he would go home on hospice and die. Michael then said that’s what he wanted to do. He was placed on hospice, continued receiving REMDESIVIR up until he was officially released from the hospital. Michael wasn’t given any food or water during his stay at the Va, only IV drip. He was essentially a hostage in that hospital. Michael came home Saturday the 25th of Sept about 12:30pm after Ronda threatened to go to the local news channel about this, and once hospice left, I began giving him ivermectin and doxycycline again. I gave Michael the ivermectin in his mouth and I noticed how bloody his mouth looked. I assumed it was because of the bipap he had on. After hospice left, Michael wanted to have oxygen via the tubes and not the bipap so we said ok. He said he could not breathe with that thing on. I spent the next hour with him and he could not get enough of the Pedialyte freezer pops that I bought for him and ice. His mouth was so dry it broke my heart. I left about 3 and told Michael that I would be back in the morning and left Mike’s meds with Ronda to give him at set times. I told Michael that I loved him and would see him tomorrow. He said I love you too, sis. I never saw my brother alive again. I had no idea that they continued with the Remdesivir the entire time he was there, not knowing that his organs were shutting down so that by the time he got back home, he didn’t stand a chance. I guess I was hopeful that they had listened and not given him these dangerous drugs. I stayed in touch with Ronda via messenger and text to see how he was doing. She told me that Michael tried to get up to go to the bathroom but forgot he had a catheter on. I thought that was good as he was wanting to get up and move about. I asked her if Mike still wanted the IV infusions and she said that it was funny that I asked as he had just asked her if I was still willing to do that. Of course, I said yes and would get it scheduled next week. Next week never came for Michael. Michael was kept hostage at the hospital so the VA could collect money off him. They killed my brother by their protocols. He didn’t deserve this and he didn’t deserve to die this way. We were all sick with the same symptoms, other than strep for my family, and we all recovered except Michael. Only difference…………………..he went to the hospital.