BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV) — Professional artist Dany Reyes churns out colorful creations from his basement studio.
In spring 2020, he was sidelined from his work for a while.
"As the days went by, I think I went maybe a week until I told my wife, I can't do it anymore, there is something really wrong," Reyes said.
He was hospitalized at Bellevue Medical Center for about a week with a high temperature, dangerous heart rate and pneumonia. He eventually tested positive for COVID-19.
Registered Nurse Jessica Dickau remembers caring for him.
"I would find myself in his room, with all my PPE, sweating, but not really noticing because you could just have a very easy conversation with him. I didn't mind putting my life at risk being there because I knew I was protected and I would be like, oh 30 minutes has gone by, I better go see my other patients," Dickau said.
Once Reyes was home and feeling better, he decided he wanted to do something to show his thanks. He turned to his art.
He created a picture of a nurse, wearing PPE, a superman shirt and holding a fist.
"I thought, maybe if I do this, maybe she's telling COVID off," Reyes said.
"It makes you take a step back and realize, we are appreciated, even if you don't feel it at times," Dickau said. "It is really nice and comforting to know we brought him back to health, and we provided that support that he needed to get back to his family and get back to his love which is art."
You can buy one of the t-shirts through the Nebraska Medicine Company Store.
You can buy a print through Dany Reyes' web site. You can also learn more about upcoming shows.
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