PLANO, Texas — Plano Fire Chief Sam Greif says the 16 days he spent at Medical City Plano fighting COVID-19 were some of the hardest days of his life. The Plano Fire Chief was first admitted in the beginning of the year, just days after receiving his first dose of the vaccine. Greif says he likely had COVID-19 while he was getting the shot.
"This is a vicious vicious virus. It's nasty," Greif said.
Greif and his wife Rosemary have been married 23 years and rarely missed a lunch together. Sadly, the virus forced the two of them to isolate. Rosemary was fighting a much milder virus from home, and her husband was battling it with bilateral pneumonia.
Rosemary recalled the pain of waiting to hear how her husband was doing.
"Dealing with the everyday...waiting to hear how he's doing. 'Is he getting better or getting worse?'" she said.
Sam told WFAA the virus and the isolation took its toll. He would talk on the phone with his wife every day, but Rosemary could tell when Sam was struggling with his breathing. The day Sam was finally released from the hospital, the pair met at the elevators.
"I hadn't seen him in 16 days. [I was] anxious to see him and hug his neck and tell him I love him in person," she said.
The chief is thankful to the first responders on his staff who looked after the department and his family. He is especially thankful to the hospital staff at Medical City Plano.
"I'll never ever ever forget those people. They were amazing," Sam said.
The chief hopes to return to work in a limited capacity in two weeks. In the meantime, he will still get periodic breathing treatments. Sam lost 22 pounds, which he hopes to slowly put back on. But, he admits, he still gets fatigued by the smallest bit of activity.
The Greifs are hopeful and thankful. They'd like everyone to hear their story and they hope it encourages someone to get the vaccine.
"Lean on your faith, lean on your family, and lean on your friends," Rosemary said.