Celebrating Stories of Recovery:
Kirk Williams

Traveling to South Carolina from New York with his vocal group, Sunrise All In, in early March, Kirk Williams had no idea he would still be in the Palmetto State three months later as a result of COVID-19.

On March 9, Kirk’s music group posted to Facebook, “Sunrise is taking our show on the road. We will be in Orangeburg and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina next weekend. See you guys when we get back. Best regards to all of our family and friends.”

Dedicated to preserving rhythm and blues music for the next generation, the group headed to their first stop in Orangeburg. While they were performing their first gig, Kirk started feeling unwell. Before leaving for North Myrtle Beach, Kirk went to the emergency department at the local hospital. He was diagnosed with malaise and discharged. Kirk then traveled on to North Myrtle Beach.

On Saturday, March 14, the group performed for St. Patrick’s Day festivities taking place in North Myrtle Beach. Kirk said he still did not feel well and actually drove himself to McLeod Health Seacoast for treatment. This time he was admitted and after being tested, the medical team determined that Kirk was suffering from COVID-19.

The first COVID-19 patient within the McLeod Health system, Kirk spent 60 days receiving care at McLeod Health Seacoast. He was on a ventilator for 16 days, and his kidneys shut down, requiring dialysis.

Penny and Clark Eckert, nurses in the Intensive Care Unit at McLeod Health Seacoast, grew close to Kirk while caring for him in the unit. “He was all alone in his fight with no family in the area. Kirk needed people to cheer and encourage him,” explained Clark.

The ICU staff also shared regular updates with Kirk’s daughter and sister in New York. “It took several days for Kirk to wake up after being on the ventilator,” said Clark. “When he was fully awake, Kirk was confused and wanted to go home. He had no idea what was going in the world with COVID-19. On one of the video calls with his family, we explained how Kirk wanted to come home and they quickly said, ‘He is in the best place. If this happened to him here in New York we don’t believe he would have made it.’ The family told Kirk that everything happens for a reason and they were so thankful he was at McLeod Health Seacoast when he got sick.”

The Eckerts were actually out of town when they learned Kirk was finally being discharged from the hospital. They raced back to Little River so they could be there for the celebration. The couple also purchased clothes for Kirk to wear to the rehabilitation center he was being transferred to in Florence.

On May 12, Kirk was discharged from McLeod Health Seacoast with a cheering send off by the staff as he was transported to the rehabilitation center for further recovery. The nursing team who cared for him in both the ICU and medical unit joined in the celebration, many of whom came in on their day off, as well as the critical care specialists and hospitalist team who managed his care.

Clark also made a video of Kirk’s departure and sent it to his daughter.

“Kirk has come a long way from his first few days with us in our ICU. He was extremely sick, but his strong will and determination carried him to this special day,” said Dr. Kevin Dineen, a McLeod Pulmonologist and Critical Care Specialist. “Outcomes for patients like Kirk inspire us and make us hopeful for those patients with COVID-19 who are still in our care.”

After a month at the rehabilitation center, Kirk was able to return to New York in mid-June. He expressed his gratitude to the nurses and staff at McLeod Health Seacoast and told staff he looks forward to coming back to visit his new friends very soon.