Editor’s note: Colorado recently reached — and quickly surpassed — a grim milestone, with more than 2,000 lives now lost to the worst viral outbreak on American soil in a century. As the pandemic continues to infect every aspect of life, and the number of confirmed cases and deaths here and nationwide continues to grow, The Gazette is remembering residents whose lives have been taken. If you have lost a loved one to COVID-19 and would like to share their story, please email us at [email protected].

Donna Distel is the kind of person who self-admittedly has a hard time receiving anything from others.

“I don’t like to get help,” she said. “I like to be the one giving help.”

And a lot of people depend on the 52-year-old Cripple Creek resident, who not only is self-employed but also works several volunteer and part-time jobs as a park ranger, a first responder and a driver. She also has family obligations.

But when COVID-19 infiltrated her body in March and didn’t retreat until July, she realized a few things about her life.

The first was that other people like to help, too.

What started out as a barrage of symptoms that simultaneously descended on her normally healthy body — a sore throat, runny nose, congestion, headaches, fever and chills — eventually advanced to pink eye, excessive fatigue, weakness, hives and swelling of the airways.

She was laid up for 3½ months, sought emergency care twice and was hospitalized for three days.

During her lengthy illness, Distel said a large contingent of family, friends, neighbors, fellow parishioners and co-workers rallied around her in her time of need.

“There were so many phone calls, ‘Thinking of You’ cards, people from church leaving meals, friends asking what I needed from the store, people bringing lawn chairs and sitting in my driveway … I didn’t really feel isolated. I felt very loved and supported by friends and family.”

Distel is one of about 10 Cripple Creek residents to have suffered COVID-19, according to public health statistics.

She has no idea where she picked up the virus. “Just living life,” she said. “I didn’t do anything out of ordinary, and no one I knew appeared to be sick.”

She self-quarantined immediately after initial symptoms began during the third week in March and found out on Easter that she had tested positive for the virus.

The infectious disease started out as being annoying but as time went on became debilitating.

“The longer my body tried to fight it, I grew more and more exhausted.”

She drove herself to an emergency clinic the first time because she didn’t want to infect anyone else.

But after getting a steroid injection and being released, Distel slept for five hours in her car in the clinic parking lot because she was too weak to undertake the half-hour drive back home.

When she finally made it to her bed, she slept for another 16 hours.

After a friend called Distel to check on her — and she couldn’t speak properly — the friend, who works in the medical field, suited up in protective gear, came over and took her to the emergency room, where she was hospitalized.

“I was really out of it. I couldn’t focus. I was covered in purple splotches head-to-toe, and my body was red,” Distel said. “All of my vital signs were really low.”

As she convalesced, Distel had another epiphany.

“I was pushing too hard,” she said. “I didn’t meet the categories of being high-risk, but I was so run down. I’m pretty sure that’s why I got sick.”

As she took a good look at her life, Distel said she faced up to the fact that she tends to say “yes” to too many things.

She’s now being intentional about making commitments but still has to keep herself in check.

“My personality is not a 9-5 job and come home and sit and watch TV.”

She’s taking better care of herself, getting enough sleep, eating properly and slowly returning to her love of hiking.

“It was a long road to feeling well,” Distel said. “I’m still dealing with some rebound symptoms.”

Distel, who grew up in Woodland Park and has lived in Cripple Creek for 22 years, said she’s grateful for the encouraging circle of support that expanded around her and continues to be a life-giving presence.

“We all get busy in our lives, and people went out of their way for me,” she said.