Oregon WWII Vet Recovers from Coronavirus and Celebrates His 104th Birthday, Says He's 'Good For a Few More'

Aimee Herd : Apr 2, 2020
Breaking Christian News

"We hope that this will inspire some of the other people that are going through this ... we're really excited and looking forward to 105." -Daughter Carolee Brown

(Lebanon, OR) During this time of dealing with the Coronavirus, it's important to highlight good news when you can find it. We've been trying to do just that here at Breaking Christian News, while still providing critical updates on the disease and its impact on all of us. (Image: via KOIN News)

In some great news, out of the beautiful state of Oregon, a WWII Veteran celebrated his 104th birthday, but that's not all—he is also likely one of the oldest people to recover from COVID-19.

KOIN News reported on Wednesday: William "Bill" Lapschies was one of the first two residents to test positive for the disease at the Edward C. Allworth Veterans' Home. To date, 15 residents have tested positive and two have passed away, according to the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Lapschies has been isolated in his room since first showing symptoms on March 5. Staffers have been caring for him while using personal protective equipment, including gloves, gowns, face masks and plastic face shields. As of this week, "he has met the guidelines by the CDC and Oregon Health Authority to be considered recovered from COVID-19."

Due to the state's social distancing guidelines in place, Lapschies' family was not allowed inside the facility, but they gathered outside with balloons and signs, while he waved from a distance.

"His smile, I wish you could have seen it, that mask covers it but his smile is absolutely contagious," granddaughter Jamie Yutzie told KOIN News.

According to the report, Lapschies was "very, very sick" with the Coronavirus, to the point where his family had discussed the possibility of him not pulling through, however, he fought it all the way to recovery. His son-in-law, Jim Brown noted that he is "pretty resilient."

Daughter Carolee Brown told KOIN, "We hope that this will inspire some of the other people that are going through this ... we're really excited and looking forward to 105." Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

To read more about Bill Lapschies, Click Here for the KOIN report.