To put it succinctly, Lata Annayya was in world of trouble.

The 59-year-old Ringoes, N.J. resident had developed a fever and it was a fever that would not quit. The term “persistent” would fit the bill. It gradually consumed her during the month of April. She was the victim of the novel coronavirus, like many others across the globe.

With breathing become increasingly difficult, she was admitted to a local hospital. But instead of improving, the situation got worse. Her blood oxygen level became dangerously low. Annayya was eventually transferred to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest when she needed a breathing tube.

“When Lata arrived for evaluation, she was near death,” said Dr. Rita Pechulis, associated chief of critical care medicine at LVHN.

Annayya required ECMO, a treatment in which blood is pumped outside of the body to a machine that removes carbon dioxide and sends oxygen-filled blood back into the body. By June, Annayya had been on a ventilator for 40 days and on ECMO for three weeks.

Today, she is on the road to recovery. A COVID survivor.

“I wish there was a better word than heroes,” Annayya said in a video presentation containing LVHN’s 2020 Community Annual Meeting, which debuted during a virtual meeting Dec. 2. “I would call them warriors on the front lines of this battle. I would say I’m in your debt forever. It’s a debt that I could never, never, never think of repaying. I’m filled with gratitude.”

In his presentation to the annual public board of trustees meeting which is held each December, LVHN President and CEC Brian Nester told the audience there is nothing more important than good health.

“If you have it, cherish it,” he said. “If you don’t, take charge to achieve it. And if you need help to attain it,” ask for it.”

Any review of 2020 must have COVID-19 front and center. That goes double for an organization such as LVHN. During the address, Nester chronicled the past nine months at LVHN since the pandemic invaded the region. Like an old-fashioned page turner, the story of how LVHN confronted the virus was at times intriguing and dramatic.

Moving forward, Nester indicated LVHN is prepared for the current resurgence of the virus. He also urged everyone to do their part.

“Make no mistake, we will win this fight,” said Nester. “And when we do, we will all be heroes.”

In spite of challenges during the early months of COVID-19, LVHN reported operating income of $84 million for fiscal year 2020, or an operating margin of 2.7 percent. The picture was much more bleak earlier this year. In the first few months of the pandemic, LVHN estimated a more than $300 million shortfall for the fiscal year. The pictured eventually turned around, thanks to a few primary factors, said Nester. Being able to reopen elective surgeries and other services, along with assistance from federal funds courtesy of the CARES Act to the tune of $118 million as well as expense reductions allowed LVHN to end the year on an up note.

As for Lata Annayya, she’s gone from barely being able to breathe, to having a new appreciation for life itself. That, truly, is a breathe of fresh air.