TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Joyce Gibson worked as a certified nurse aid at a hospital in Gallup, New Mexico in the mid-to-late 1970s.
The hospital she worked at was the Rehoboth Christian next to the Navajo Nation. Gibson says it also served as a ministry to the Navajo.
She says one night while helping in a medical surgical unit, she was assigned to care for a very sick woman from the Navajo Nation.
"She was a very sweet person, and she was a Navajo woman. I sat with her all night," Gibson said. "She had a really high fever, she'd kind of go unconscious for a little bit and then come to and then pass out again just from the high fever."
At the time, Gibson says medical staff were still trying to understand what they were dealing with.
"Everybody was scared," Gibson said.
As more patients became sick, Gibson says federal health officials stepped in to help investigate what she says was later connected to early hantavirus cases.
"They gave me a bunch of shots to try to prevent my from getting it. I never got it," Gibson said.
Now decades later, and living in Tucson, Gibson says those moments inside the hospital are coming back to her as state health officials monitor a passenger from Arizona who was aboard a cruise ship linked to hantavirus.
READ MORE | Canary Islands braces for arrival of cruise ship with hantavirus outbreak
"Well, a lot of people are very afraid. I mean, after COVID, we're all freaky when it comes to something new. You know, it's normal to be scared about stuff like that," Gibson said.
Gibson says she hopes sharing her story encourages people to stay informed and seek medical attention when symptoms appear.
"You feel like you have the flu, really bad case of the flu. But it's not the flu. If you have any of those symptoms, you need to see your doctor right away," Gibson said.
READ MORE | What to know about hantavirus after cruise ship quarantine
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
——
Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
