'Not painful, just kinda slow': Granger Township fire chief Jim Paulette talks recovering from COVID-19

Near the end of August, Granger Fire Chief Jim Paulett began feeling sick. About a week later, his condition had sharply deteriorated, he tested positive for COVID-19 and was in the hospital by Sept. 7, where he remained for the next 10 days. During that stay, doctors told Paulett that his condition and prognosis were not good and contacted his wife of 44 years, June, to ensure she understood where he was and what could be coming. "I was conscious at the time," Paulett said. "Barely." In the days following that news, however, his condition began improving. By Sept. 17, he left the hospital to continue his recovery at home and has been doing so since. "It's been a slow process," Paulett said. "Not painful, just kinda slow. I'm on oxygen (now). Rest really is not bad, it's when I exert myself. Standing up, sitting down (and) trying to walk, that's when the consumption goes up and I don't have it." Throughout the entire pandemic, Paulett, who serves as a volunteer firefighter with Valley Fire Department and as a security guard at the Cleveland Clinic along with his duties as Granger's fire chief, has been diligent about wearing a mask, washing his hands and cleaning the surfaces in his house. Looking back, he said he now is kicking himself for not being even safer. "After four or five months, you start getting a little lax, I guess," Paulett said. "For five months I was coming home and completely sterilizing the house. I thought I was doing good with that but I ended up getting (June) infected, too. That was the worst for me." He said June was mostly able to treat herself by staying in bed and getting extra rest at home while he was in the hospital. Since each originally tested positive, Jim Paulett said neither have taken another test as doctors have said, due to them now having the COVID-19 antibodies, there is an increased likelihood of a false positive. Similarly, he said there have been no guarantees made about when or if a full recovery would be made. He said he knows the newness of the virus and how much remains unknown has hamstrung those in the medical field with what they are able to do. Throughout this entire experience, Jim and June Paulett have been surrounded by friends and community members that have stayed by their side — figuratively — and supported them. That support is perhaps best shown in Saturday's surprise parade put on for Jim Paulett and organized by a community member and some of his four sisters. The route ran right in front of Jim and June's home and had well over 30 cars, including fire trucks, ambulances and police cars from several departments. Among the departments that took part are Granger, Valley, Bath, Richfield, Sharon, Fairlawn, Independence and Brecksville. It wrapped up with a truck carrying a blow-up pink flamingo and red dog, signs of "warm, sunny beaches and his fondness for animals." Jim Paulett called the experience "humbling." One of his sisters, Mary Hartman, said that level of turnout shows the widespread impact her brother has had on his own community and those surrounding. "Everybody loves Jim," Hartman said. "It was very nice, the outpouring of people. When my sister, Kitty, called the fire departments, they'd go, 'Oh, Jimmy!' I made a float and someone came up, young kid, and said, 'When I heard it was for Jimmy, I said, 'I'm going.' "We say in the family that it took eight kids to get one as good as Jim." More than 185,000 Ohioans have contracted COVID-19 since February. Jim Paulett said he's "just another guy that got COVID" and that while he knows his sisters enjoy spotlighting him, he said he "doesn't run around in a Batman cape" in his day-to-day life. All he's focused on at this point is getting back to the Granger Fire Department as he nears nine years of service as chief there. Paulett was appointed chief Jan. 1, 2012 "(I) absolutely (want to get back)," he said. "Sooner rather than later. I hope to be able to wake up one morning, take a breath and say, 'Oh, that was fun!' and get in the car and take off. One of my young firemen, I was complaining to him about it, and he's been off work for about 9-10 months with a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). He told me, 'Chief, … you've just got to chill and take your time and you'll get better.' " Along with praising friends, family and community members for their continued support, Jim Paulett stressed the importance of following health and safety guidelines to minimize the threat of spreading the virus and protecting oneself and others. "Mask up, you can't wash your hands too many times in a day and just follow the guidelines," he said. "Try to stay away from large crowds and do what you can." June Paulett doesn't underestimate the seriousness and deadliness of the virus, which has claimed more than 5,000 Ohio lives. "As much as we thought we knew what we were dealing with, we did not," she said. "We continue to deal with it on a daily basis. It has been quite frightening and we're looking forward to a better time. It's very serious. It's not just deadly but those that do recover might not fully recover or take a very long time (to do so)." For a man who has impacted lives in several communities, it's now his turn to offer thanks and appreciation to those that have given that support and affection right back to him. "(I want to offer) a profound thank you to the people that thought of us and everyone in the community," the chief said. "There are a lot of people out there. If anybody has friends, neighbors or anybody suffering from this, it sure is nice to extend a hand to help them." Contact reporter Jack Kopanski at (330) 721-4063 or jkopanski@medina-gazette.com.