Homewood Teacher Battling COVID-19 On Life Support

HOMEWOOD, IL — A Homewood woman and teacher is currently fighting for her life as she battles COVID-19.

Cherie Garza, 39, is currently in stable but critical condition, attached to an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, a life-support device that pumps blood outside othe body to oxygenate it.

A former teacher at Homewood School District 153's Millennium School, she currently works at Crete-Monee Middle School and contracted COVID-19 in mid-July. She had planned to get vaccinated before school started, but hadn't yet gotten the shot, her family told Patch.

According to her family, the virus has caused pneumonia in all areas of her lungs. She went into respiratory failure on July 26 after her oxygen levels dropped to 30 percent, and she needed to be intubated and placed on a ventilator.

Garza is being cared for at Loyola Medical Center, where she had to be put into a medically induced coma, her family said.

In early August, Garza was showing signs of organ failure, according to her sister, Janene Preston. Doctors found that Garza's right lung had collapsed, and said she had a o percent chance of survival, telling Garza's family they believed she was about to die.

"We then asked [the doctors] one last question, 'What would you do if this was your sister?' and without hesitation the doctor said, 'I would fight until the very end for her,'" Preston said. "So we shall fight alongside her until God says it’s over, because she is worth every tear and ounce of energy we have."

As Garza's blood pressure began to stabilize, her kidneys began working again and her oxygen levels rose from 49 to 93 mm Hg, her family saw a glimmer of hope. Preston said doctors told the family she was now showing "life-sustaining" numbers.

While Garza is no longer in a medically induced coma, she is still unaware of her surroundings, her sister said.

"My parents have already lost a child, so this has just been very scary for us. We are realistic, but we are hopeful," Preston told Patch. "The doctors said there is still hope, and it is not impossible, but at this time her lungs are very damaged, so they're just unsure of how long it will take."

Preston told Patch that Garza was planning to receive the COVID-19 vaccine before heading back to the classroom this fall.

"Being off last year, and teaching remotely, she was trying to decide on what vaccine would be the best route for her, strictly because my mother and myself, both have severe allergic reactions to prescription medication [and the] flu vaccine," Preston said. "She was just trying to research, which would be the best for her and what was the safest option for her. She had planned on being vaccinated before going back to school, but unfortunately this happened before that."

Preston went on to say that her sister is a giving person who is funny, passionate and always makes it a point to make everyone feel seen and valued.

"Her lungs are still in very bad shape and if they heal, it is expected to take weeks to months," Preston said. "She also has some infection on top of the pneumonia. We do not know what the future holds, but we know that it is in God’s hands."

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Garza and her family during this time. As of Tuesday morning, $16,740 of the $75,000 goal has been raised. Looking to help out? Find the fundraiser here.

GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.