This is the next in a series of features focusing on current or former Newtown residents who have contracted and/or suffered through the effects of COVID-19.

Like so many of those who contracted COVID-19, transplanted Newtown native Carl “Chad” Werden was in good health and had never suffered any serious health threat — never mind spending months in hospital and surviving through a virus-related double lung transplant.

The hearty and formerly healthy contractor had relocated to Southbury and then South Carolina two years ago, and currently resides in neighboring Ansonia. He explained to The Newtown Bee during a recent interview that he had long been aware of the dangers of contracting the novel coronavirus, and that he was good about following all the prescribed precautions.

“We were careful all the time,” he said. “We always had masks on, we always sanitized our hands when we stopped for gas or anything else, so to this day I still can’t figure out where I got it.”

Werden said South Carolina, like many other states, imposed a number of forced closings and business restrictions during the spring, but once they were lifted, “tourists came pouring back in, even though we stayed put — we really didn’t have contact with them.”

Early last summer when Werden came to Connecticut to work and visit his daughter, Delaney, he started feeling poorly and ended up heading to Danbury Hospital.

That was on June 27.

“It started with a fever and shakes, and some gastro issues for a couple of days, but I had no temp,” he said. “Once I started developing a temp I went to the hospital, but by the time I was admitted I had COVID and pneumonia.”

His medical caregivers told Werden they believed the pneumonia was brought on by the virus.

“The first two weeks I was in there, I pretty much can’t remember anything except I was in ICU getting oxygen. They wanted me to go on a ventilator twice, but I refused,” he said. “Up to then I had never been really sick, never took any medications, and never had been in the hospital.”

Slowly Recovering, But...

By mid-July, Werden said, he began recovering to a degree, but after some deep imaging, his medical team noticed some lung fibrosis.

“At first I didn’t think it was that bad,” he recalled. “They got me to a point where I was going to transfer to a rehab facility, and after nine days there, my lungs got a lot worse,” Werden said. “That put me back into the hospital in New Britain.”

At that point, he was admitted for what turned out to be a month-long stay. While he was there, it became clear to Werden’s doctors that he would need a lung transplant to survive.

“They flew me in the LifeStar helicopter to Brigham And Women’s Hospital in Boston,” he said. By the time Werden arrived in Boston, he had been off his feet for three months, so his journey not only included preparing for a hopefully successful transplant, but re-learning how to walk — an accomplishment he attributes to a wonderful physical therapy team.

“That first day, I could not only not even sit up in bed, I couldn’t even lift my head. But within three weeks, my primary therapist had me up walking,” he said. During the four weeks he spent at Brigham And Women’s Hospital he went through all the qualifying procedures for the pending transplant, including walking 450 feet within six minutes.

“The doctor said if I couldn’t do that before the transplant, I wouldn’t be able to do it after,” he said. “Then one night around 6, they came in and said they had a matching set of lungs and I was going in for the transplant the next morning. That was October 29.”

Werden’s immediate recovery spanned about two weeks, after which he was transferred to another rehab facility in Boston. He spent a month there regaining strength while his medical team continuously monitored the transplant recovery. Upon being discharged, he returned to Connecticut, where he is recovering under the watchful eyes of family members and his fiancée, Margaret Williams.

His daughter and his ex-wife, Kristen Werden, who remains a dear friend, are both grateful and relieved that Chad has come through the worst of his COVID-19 experience and aftermath. They have also established a GoFundMe site in the hope of helping Chad with the monumental medical bills he is facing from all his hospitalizations and treatments.

Delaney writes, “We are thankful every day that he survived and is still here with us. Life is precious and I want my dad to live happily and comfortably after this terrifying and treacherous road. My dad is a very hard working, very talented contractor. Unfortunately, with this transplant, he will no longer be able to work.”

“I love my dad so much, and I want to raise money for him so he doesn’t have to finish getting through this extremely high-stress situation, just to begin stressing about making ends meet,” she continued. “He is the kindest, most selfless, bravest, funniest, strongest person I know. I’m so grateful to still have my dad, and he deserves this so much. I cannot thank all of the donators enough. People have been so compassionate and generous. It means more than you know.”

Access that site by CLICKING HERE.

Participating In Research

“Hopefully his story and the things he learned might help others,” Kristen said, adding that state and federal lawmakers need to hear more about the aftereffects and related burdens the virus can cause.

“I am hoping, for his sake, that [Chad’s story] awakens our leaders to the lifelong financial struggles these survivors will face,” she said. “He may never work again — at least not for many years — and never full time. People need to take this virus seriously. Thank goodness that science is emerging and providing more information.”

To help contribute to that scientific fact finding, and in the hope of possibly helping others avoid his situation, Kristen said Chad’s lungs are being researched for answers.

“There’s only three people in the county so far who have had lung transplants due to COVID, and I’m the only one in New England, so I’m getting a lot of attention,” Chad Werden said.

In the meantime, he is under the care of visiting nurses and physical therapists.

“I’m getting better and better,” he confided, “I’ll keep trying, it’s just a long road. I’m on so much medicine, and I’m doing everything the doctors say. I also have to go to Boston every week for check-ups. Those have been going okay, too. A few weeks ago they put a camera down in my lungs and the surgeon said it looked perfect — there’s no sign of rejection. It’s just hard to get used to.”

Werden, so far, knows only that the person who helped give him a second lease on life, was a woman. He said that he is not in pain, but it is hard to catch his breath if he overexerts.

In the coming months, the frequency of his Boston visits will step down to every six weeks, at which point he will likely return to South Carolina.

“The doctors believed all along that I would do really well, especially because I was not waiting very long — just about four months before the transplant,” he said. As far as any advice he may offer to others, it would be to believe the virus is out there.

“I look on the internet and on Facebook and I see people who believe COVID isn’t real, or that it’s not going to effect them. But it doesn’t matter how young you are or how healthy you are, it can get you and I am a perfect example of how deeply it can affect you —- long-term,” Werden said. “Just keep wearing a mask and wash your hands. That’s all you have to do to make a difference.”

Any resident or Newtown Bee reader who would like to discuss their coronavirus experience for possible inclusion in this series is invited to e-mail Associate Editor John Voket at john@thebee.com.