In August, I began to have headaches, a sore neck, diarrhea, coughing, throat phlegm and sore skin all over my body.

My wife Diane suggested - with some level of enforcement - that I get tested. I had no idea that I had contracted the virus since I was practicing proper distancing and wearing a mask, even on the golf course.

Diane informed me that our grandson, Al Farmer, 17, had contracted the virus at a baseball game. Being the catcher for our Newberry/Chapin team placed him within a few feet of every opposing batter for the 7-inning game with the team in Edgefield.

We fielded all 22 of our players and they had only 15 of theirs. We did not question their smaller number, especially since we beat them profoundly.

EDGEFIELD WAS scheduled to play Newberry/Chapin at our home field the next evening but their coach called to inform us that they would have to forfeit the game.

He told us they had only 5 players because the rest of the team had tested positive. Shortly after our grandson tested positive beginning a 10- day quarantine.

He lives just across the creek from us and spends a lot of time at our house. I think that is because Diane is always cooking his favorite meals and he and I are always talking baseball and other sports.

DHEC set up a covid-19 testing site in Newberry and I tested negative. The results of the tests came by phone 5 days later,

AFTERWARDS, I was beginning to feel weak. Diane drove me to the Newberry County Memorial Hospital for another test, chest x-ray and other tests due to my age of 79. This test showed I had the virus.

My grandson was in quarantine for 10 days, which ended the same Sunday that I went to the hospital for my tests. I began my 10 day quarantine following his, since my 2nd test was positive.

My symptoms of covid-19 really took hold of me and for 3+ days I sincerely believed I was not going to make it.

After serving my 10 days of quarantine, Diane went to her doctor to be tested.

Naturally, her test came back positive, which began her 10 day quarantine.

We are all doing well after our grandson’s mild case, Diane’s middle of the scale case and my extremely severe case.

Incidentally, Diane and I felt like we were incarcerated for 30 days. So ends the saga (prayerfully and hopefully) of our current silent enemy, covid-19.

Thank you, God!

Bob Smith, Prosperit