Battling COVID-19 with Prayer

“We hold hands together and we pray” says Jarolyn Moulder. “And at night I tell him like, you know, ‘No, son, look at me, son,’ you now, ‘breathe in Jesus' name, breathe,’ you know? And at the same time God is like telling me, you know, uh, you know, ‘Focus on me, Jarolyn, you know. Don't give up. I'm here. I'm here.’” 

Jarolyn Moulder was in a battle for her son’s survival after COVID-19 spread through her household. It started with her husband Billy. “I've never had that intense of pain before, Billy says, “a lot of fluid in the lungs, you know, I had to have that. And-and pneumonia in both lungs. And it was – it was rough. It felt like breathing fire to me.”

After suffering at home for several days, Billy was taken by ambulance to the hospital. Their son Vincent who has special needs was admitted a few days later with 105-degree temperature and Pneumonia. Dr. Michael Helton was his physician. “He had some heart conditions and adrenal gland we knew he had some challenges already going in when he first came in with Covid and we had quite a battle on our hands when he first entered the hospital,” says Dr. Helton.

“With Vincent, it's really hard for me to-to leave him there with his situation,” says Jarolyn. “I don't know if this will be my last time to see him, you know, and all that. I just prayed to God that uh, you know, for them to-to allow me to be with him, because uh they will be having a hard time to understand him.”

“Thankfully, after one night apart, the hospital allowed Jarolyn to stay with him because she was already infected with mild symptoms. They created an environment of worship and prayer in his room. His nurse Leona remembers it fondly. “But every time you walked into his room, he'd say, ‘God is good. God is powerful.’ And I would hear them singing first thing in the morning, their-their morning hymns and, you know, talking and praying and everything,” says Leona.

“They were always quoting scriptures and praying together and praying for me and the staff,” says Dr. Michael Helton. “And it was neat. He was always saying God is good and God is going to heal me all these great things he was saying the whole time. Most people don’t have the kind of faith the Moulders have it was pretty impressive. Pretty awesome.”

But even in an environment of faith, Vincent had to fight for his life with every breath. Dr. Michael Helton says, “He got worse pretty fast. And he uh, you know, had to go on a very high level of oxygen to keep going. And we thought we were gonna have to intubate him.”

Jarolyn remembers, “It's really hard for me to see him having a hard time to breathe. But-but uh to see him not giving up and fighting. And-and still like praying to God and asking God to, you know, uh to help him. And he still worships Him, and still telling everybody how good He is, is what's like really like uh got me.”

But with Vincent’s oxygen level dangerously low, doctors asked Jarolyn for permission to intubate. Jarolyn says, “With a heavy heart I still like uh, I still gave my permission, because I'm not the doctor. And so I told them, okay, you know, and uh I just, I just pray to God.”

As Vincent struggled to breathe, Nurse Leona tried once again to get his oxygen level up - before transferring him to the ICU for intubation. She says, “He was on Vapotherm, and he was completely maxed out, which is 40 liters at 100%. Uh his mom had sat there, and I just couldn't get his oxygen up past 85, 86. I felt defeated in a way.”

Jarolyn knelt down on the floor and asked God to intervene on her son’s behalf. “I said like, ‘God, I know that you know that I love my son, but I know that you love him more. And you've always been there for him, ever since he was a baby. You've done so much miracle in his life.’ And so I said, ‘But, if it is your will, extend his life.’”

His nurse Leona then witnessed the answered prayer. “And she dropped to her knees and she started praying,” says Leona. “And I looked at the rapid response guy and I said, ‘Do you see this?’ And his oxygen, no lie, it still gives me goosebumps, his oxygen went from 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90 and then stayed above 90 for the rest of the time. It was breathtaking. Because I've never seen God work that quick. I mean, He worked quick!”

Jarolyn recalls, “I just felt like peace after I prayed. I felt like uh God like uh just hugged me and just told me like, you know, uh, ‘It's gonna be alright, my daughter. It's gonna be alright.’”

From that moment on, Vincent began breathing normally and no longer needed oxygen. Nurse Leona recalls, “I've never witnessed so much of a miraculous event in my life. And so like, I mean, God is good. God is completely good through this.”

Dr Michael Helton says, “I think God really showed up big for him. I mean, I think that it was definitely the-the hand of God on his life and the power of prayer in his life really made an impact. Through prayer and God's intervention, he was able to stay off the ventilator and-and he started turning around and, you know, he's doing great now from that.”

After 23 days, Vincent left the hospital COVID free. Billy and Jarolyn also recovered. The Moulders say they are honored that God gave them this amazing answer to prayer and share it everywhere they can. Billy says, “We've been uh a family of faith before. But when you see a miracle happen in your life with your own eyes, that-that takes it to a whole new level.”

“God is good. He healed me and visited me in that hospital. He loves me, Jesus does,” says Vincent.

“It is the toughest time of our life and the hardest time, but then it is the-the most – the most amazing feeling to uh experience God, you know, right before your eyes,” says Jarolyn.