SMITH COUNTY, Texas — Smith County Deputy Justin Eakin is a COVID-19 survivor. He was diagnosed with the virus at the beginning of September.
"That morning that I woke up at 2 o’clock I felt like I had just been hit by a truck," Eakin said. "I was really fatigued and felt really, just not myself. Plus the fever, and so I knew at that time that I was probably going to have it, and so after reaching out to my doctor, I told him the symptoms and he was like yes come on let’s get you tested."
The next day, Eakin was told his test came back positive for COVID-19.
"I ran a fever for 12 straight days, I had body aches chills, really fatigued," he said. "I had barely enough energy to take a shower or fix something to eat. There were a couple days where I was really lightheaded, I felt like I was about to pass out but I didn’t, but it was just a very miserable feeling."
Working as a deputy for the sheriff's office during a pandemic did raise some concerns for Eakin.
"It’s always in the back of your mind because we serve the public that you could possibly go to a house that might have COVID," he said. "You could possibly do a traffic stop that might have COVID. You know you might run into anybody that might have the symptoms. So some of us have these, some of us have the mask. So it’s always in the back of your mind that you’re going to come across somebody with COVID.
However, Eakin didn't contract COVID-19 while at work.
"When I got it on that Tuesday, I was kind of tracking down where I had been," he said. "A group of us had been at a restaurant on Friday and some of the friends that were there came down with it. There were three of us total who were down and out, and we all had symptoms that same day."
When finding out about his positive test, he immediately called his father since he had just visited him and other family members two days before.
"My grandmother is elderly and she was there. You know it was a phone call I didn’t want to make, but you have to," Eakin said. "No matter if it’s family or friends you have to let them know so they can kind of monitor themselves and who they were around. OK, I was just around somebody who got it, so it’s probably not the best idea to go to the grocery store or do whatever around a whole bunch of people until you’ve been tested and you’ve gotten a negative result."
Back at home, Eakin spent two weeks isolated from his wife in his "man cave."
"It felt kind of like I was in jail you know, I can’t go nowhere," he said. "I only can find this one little area, bedroom, bathroom, and when she’s not there go and fix you something for lunch, and wear a mask you know, I wore a mask in my house."
Eakin says he began to feel better by the third week. "I went and got tested again and I found out that I was negative. I lost my smell and taste so I was glad to get that back," he said. "It’s kind of weird eating food and drinking stuff and you can’t taste anything."
Both his wife and the family members he was around prior to testing positive have not shown symptoms of the virus.
If you or someone you know has had a personal fight with the coronavirus, text us at (903) 600-2600.