John McConnell On The Mend!
• We are sending our most sincere best wishes to longtime industry executive John McConnell, EVP of Talent and Content at Workhouse Media, who, thankfully, is on the road to recovery after a deadly serious battle with COVID-19 that very nearly cost him his life. Just over a week ago, the situation was very different for McConnell (pictured here on Saturday recovering nicely at his Florida home), and his wife Marie, who were both experiencing the symptoms of COVID-19 and were awaiting test results. In the meantime, while Marie’s condition was comparatively mild, McConnell’s condition had deteriorated to the point that, according to an in-depth story posted on TCPalm.com, he was hospitalized, and he and Marie were updating their wills as doctors debated moving McConnell into ICU and placing him on a ventilator.
By Thursday night, March 26, Dr. Gene Posca at the Cleveland Clinic discussed the pros and cons of treating McConnell with hydroxychloroquine, also known as Plaquenil, which is traditionally used for treating lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and malaria, and is still not approved as an effective treatment for COVID-19. Through a mutual friend, TV’s Dr. Oz also got involved and worked closely with Posca and the team to brainstorm the best treatment. McConnell gave his permission, and the Plaquenil was administered. The next morning, however, McConnell’s temperature had peaked at 103.5 degrees, and as he recounted, “(On the phone) Marie and I were saying goodbyes to one another, and my kids were, too. But the Plaquenil was working in my system. The luck of the timing is what made the difference.”
By Friday night, there was a marked improvement in McConnell’s condition, and by Saturday, he began to feel well enough to the point where the medical team told him, “If you keep up this trouble, we’re going to have to throw you out.” On Monday, the same day he was discharged, McConnell finally received his positive COVID-19 test results.
• Yesterday RAMP caught up with a deeply grateful Paul Anderson, CEO of Workhouse Media, who was kind — and candid — enough to share part of a conversation he had with McConnell after it was clear he was out of danger — “I told him, ‘Now that you have survived the ‘ultimate dislocation,’ I have to the take the posting down for your job.’ John burst out laughing, then we both shared a good cry of joy together.”
Anderson says McConnell “still sounds like he was hit by a truck, but he doesn’t feel sick anymore. Doctors say it will take him a few weeks to regain his strength.” To fill that time, Anderson has given McConnell this assignment: 1) Rest and get better; 2) Practice gratitude and 3) Love on his family, including his dog, Phoebe.
