(Update 3/4/22): After 8 months, Jesse Shane Boshears passed away. See below.
We saw the news of Vaxman having COVID and thought we'd jump in to help out.
Since the start of the pandemic, the CDC reports that 5,681 people ages 18-29 years have passed away due to COVID. At Herman Cain Awards we tend to tread lightly on young adults. I was carefree once and felt invincible during my college years.
Jesse Boshears is a 6'3, 300-pound offensive lineman who had just proposed to his high school sweetheart and was about to start football practice with Arkansas Tech. The college years are the ones you look back on and reminisce about. I can only imagine all the fun and excitement he was about to embark on before COVID changed all of that.
This is going to be a very long story as Jesse has been hospitalized for 7 months. Click here to jump to the comment section.
On June 28, 2021, Jesse tested positive for COVID. He was admitted to UAMS the next day.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Jesse recognized all the healthcare workers, including his mother, Shelly. Shelly Crain Vincent is a radiologic technologist and, according to LinkedIn, she's also a CT technologist.
I'm going to share some of Shelly's antivax posts that were made prior to Jesse's hospitalization. She posted about the grifters at Frontline Doctors, good ole' Junior's rant on immigrants + covid and other antivax articles. Jesse didn't share or post any antivax messaging other than a few that his mom tagged him in.
This is the last antivax post that Shelly shared. It was posted on the same day Jesse tested positive. I wonder if they tried treating Jesse with the 2020 antivaxxer favorite drug, Hydroxychloroquine? And of course, there's always that one friend with their anecdotal evidence.
A week later, Jesse was moved to the ICU. His family and friends had a prayer vigil in the parking lot of the hospital.
On 7/6/21, Shelly shared this video and wrote:
"I know sometimes I miss a text or call from people who are asking about Jesse. Please know I’m trying to return everyone's messages and calls as fast as I can but I decided to share this news with everyone so that God would know how thankful we are! #StandStrong #JesusStrong #JesseStrong #ThankYouJesus"
By this point, Jesse had been on the ECMO and a ventilator for a full week. 😔
August - September 2021
There were a lot of ups and downs. They tried weaning Jesse off his sedation, he got a tracheotomy and a bedsore from being in the hospital for almost 3 months.
October 2021
October was a very rough month. Jesse had a stroke, the possibility of needing a lung transplant, a sacral wound from being in the bed for so long, and the worry of all of the potential issues associated with being on the ECMO for such a long period.
November 2021 - January 2022
Shelly was told that Jesse is no longer eligible for a lung transplant, the ECMO went up and down, he went off the vent for a short time and then back on. Jesse's doctor advised that he doesn't think his lungs will get better and is not sure what else he can do to improve them. 😔
February 2022
Jesse has now been accepted for further care at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center in Texas. They're currently waiting for an ECMO and a bed to open up. THV11 did a segment on Jesse and KATV is working with Shelly on a new story.
According to the THV11 article, Jesse's family is now VACCINATED! I'm hopeful that this new hospital is the answer they've been waiting for. Thank you to all of the healthcare workers that have worked during this pandemic. I can only imagine how many people have cared for and worked on Jesse, and he's just one part of the larger story. I'm still anxiously awaiting a time in the near future when we no longer have any more stories to write. But for now, we have a few more coming your way.
Jesse sadly passed away today at the young age of 20 years old.
Please get vaccinated. Get your booster.
If you're on FB, you can follow us at "Herman Cain Awardz".