HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. – A Howey-in-the-Hills officer is back home after spending nearly two months in the hospital battling COVID-19.
Officer John Hamelink was discharged from the hospital on Saturday. He received a warm welcome home from neighbors who decorated his front yard with signs.
“Just glad to be home,” John Hamelink said. “It’s a bumpy road, but we’ll make it through it.”
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News 6 spoke to John’s wife, Gay Lynn Hamelink, in August after they both tested positive for COVID. John Hamelink said he was having trouble breathing and went to the hospital.
He was intubated in the ICU for a month. He remembers the moment he came out of the coma.
“The next thing I remember I woke up in Gay Lynn’s arms looking up at her and I could hear her calling for me,” he said.
John Hamelink spent another three weeks recovering and going through rehab.
“I basically had to learn to walk. I use a walker. I was trying to use a cane. For a short distance, I can walk without anything. My balance is kinda wobbly,” he said.
Gay Lynn Hamelink said she was by his side every step of the way.
“This guy has a very strong will to live and I honestly I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” she said.
According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, COVID-19 was the leading cause of death among officers during the first six months of the year.
John Hamelink said he is grateful to not be part of that statistic.
“My doctor, when I got to rehab, walked into the room and told me I was a miracle and he was glad to see me,” John Hamelink said.
John and Gay Lynn Hamelink said they’re still deciding if they want to get the COVID-19 vaccine. They add the community’s prayers and support helped them both get through this difficult time.
“There are times when multiple people come together and they cry out to the Lord and those prayers are answered, and that’s what happened in this situation, absolutely,” Gay Lynn Hamelink said.
While it’s still a long road to recovery, John Hamelink said he’s looking forward to returning to work.
“I just want to get back to doing my job and supporting my community,” he said.