A COVID-19 case is more than a number on a chart, it’s a real person with the virus.
What that number doesn’t show when looking at the data is the ripple effect it can have on those around the person who contracted it.
Recently, you may have seen pictures of porch lights on and hockey sticks left out for 45-year-old Mike “Chicken” VanNetten.
Mike is well known in the community for his chicken farm, good nature, friendship, and passion for sports.
Last week, the 45-year-old began not feeling well and got a COVID-19 test.
A few days later he was confirmed to have COVID-19 and was taken to an out-of-town hospital and put on a ventilator.
With permission from his wife Sarah, who is grappling with an unimaginable situation right now, we spoke with close family friend Ed Dove about Mike, his condition, and those posts you have been seeing online.
Ed tells us that a family friend started keeping their porch light on, with a purple light shining, for Mike.
Ed decided to add a hockey stick and other mementos to his display and posted about it online.
It quickly spread with people posting their porch tributes with hashtags like #lightsonformike, #lightsonforchicken, #leavealightonforchicken and #chickenyouvegotthis.
Ed says the plan is to take all these photos and put them together so that when “Chicken” comes home, he can see what he means to so many people.
This social media campaign for the Norfolk resident fighting this hard battle comes during a time where we are seeing case numbers increase locally combined with growing skepticism regarding COVID-19 and how “bad” the virus is.
As Mike was put on a ventilator, hundreds of people gathered in Simcoe to demand the end to lockdowns and other restrictions such as masks and gathering size limits.
Ed told us Mike was a happy and healthy guy before getting COVID-19, and it’s still not exactly known how he caught it.
But within days he went from the smiling friend everyone has been posting about to being hooked up to a machine that helps him breathe.
Ed urges everyone to please continue to follow public health guidelines and stay safe.
Ed said Sarah and their kids are doing well from a health standpoint, but emotionally this is a difficult time.
The latest update, provided by Sarah online for all of Mike’s friends and family is that Mike received ECMO surgery and his oxygen is good.
She also continues to thank everyone for their support and kind words during this time.