Springfield couple shares details of the battle with COVID-19

Each day, we give you the raw numbers from the state of Missouri on the coronavirus pandemic. At this point, we have nearly 6,000 positive cases.

In the middle of a pandemic storm Janice Goocher finds peace by painting.

"The cardinals have been inspiring me lately," remarked Janice.

The coronavirus hit the Goocher family like a clap of thunder. Janice felt all the symptoms including fever, aches, chills and more.

"I had a lack of or completely lost all sense of smell and taste.. severe body aches," added Janice. "It's scary. And, it was scary on a multitude of levels. You don't know what to expect."

But, COVID-19 hit Janice's husband Blaine even harder.

"I started feeling nervous because I had that cough that developed into a bruised chest," Blaine Goocher remembered.

Blaine's trip to Cox Hospital turned into the couple's lowest of low points in their battle against the virus.

"I couldn't walk 5 feet without it just taking every effort I had in me," Blaine added.

"I pulled up to the hospital and they came up with a wheelchair and I couldn't even get out of my car," Janice recalls. "I refused to move until I couldn't see him any longer and they wheeled him down the hallway. That was definitely a gut-wrenching moment."

And, in a double-whammy, the couple took a financial hit. They closed the doors on their restaurant for two weeks to make sure the workers and customers stayed safe. And, they could have kept all of this a secret. But, they shared the diagnosis in a Facebook post.

"We didn't know how people would react," said Janice. "(and) We literally had hundreds of people reach out to us to see if we were okay and to send thoughts and prayers."

Like an artist trusting the process will evolve into a beautiful painting. This couple is hopeful this difficult journey will leave them and all the rest of us stronger.

"The solace is knowing we're all in this together," reflected Janice. "We're not going to give up the fight."

Blaine spent five days in the hospital. And, Janice and Blaine both isolated themselves from their kids. So, their children never caught it.

By the way, Bellacino's is back open now with curbside pickup on South Glenstone. The other store is closed.