Retired chief master sergeant Juan Lewis recovers from the coronavirus in a Dutch hospital in Sittard, Netherlands, across the German border from Geilenkirchen NATO Air Base, where Lewis works. Also known as the Fired Up Chief for the uplifting talks he gave airmen, Lewis said the virus ''hit me so hard that it made me want to die.'' (Juan Lewis/Facebook)
As Military Matters podcast hosts Rod Rodriguez and Desmon Farris dig further into the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, they find out what it's like to fight the disease; they learn about ventilators — why they're a political lightning rod, why they're needed and what they mean for patients; and they get the story behind an Air Force veteran's innovative, new ventilator.
Rod and Desmon talk with retired Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Juan Lewis, known as the The Fired Up Chief, who has been receiving treatment since last month after being forced into intensive care with a severe case of COVID-19. Lewis is winning his battle with the disease, but at a cost.
You’ve probably heard about ventilators in the news — how few we have, how badly they’re needed, and that some folks have said we don’t need as many as we think. But what is a ventilator, what does it do, and how is it used to treat patients with COVID-19? Rod and Des talk to a nurse with more than 30 years of experience, but she would talk only under the condition of anonymity, and you’ll hear why.
And finally, the hosts talk ventilators with Air Force veteran and AirMid Critical Care Products Inc. CEO Michael Maguire, whose company developed an innovative, new ventilator answering the Army’s industry challenge.
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The full transcript of the podcast can be found here.
