The Power of a Breath

By Ron Setran

When my wife, Anita, and I first heard about COVID, we had no idea just how much it would change our and our family’s lives forever. But looking back to see God’s hand in all of it - I can’t wait to tell you the story.

First, let me give you some background. I was born and raised in a strict Christian household in Smithtown, New York. I became a youth volunteer for the church’s youth group, where I met my future wife, Anita. She grew up in a missionary family, living and traveling the world over. Her parents were well-known evangelists who were a part of an organization called Youth With A Mission (YWAM) since the early 1970s.

Anita and I met in 1991 and were married less than a year later. We have experienced life in a way few others have while living a life of missions, including the opportunity to travel around the world. In addition, God blessed us with three amazing kids: Caleb is now 24 and married to his beautiful wife Diana, Karissa is 22, and our youngest, Kiersten, is 18.

Our first encounter with COVID began when our daughter, Karissa, tested COVID-positive in early July 2021. We took care of her with the limited knowledge we had at the time. Then, our other two kids and Anita and I tested positive in mid-August 2021.
While our kids recovered relatively quickly, Anita and I had quite a different experience. As each day passed, my breathing became more and more labored. Sleeping was almost impossible as it felt like a massive weight had been placed on my lungs and I became very short of breath. I began to wonder what the endpoint would be to my story.

Although we were under the care of our general practitioner, our symptoms were escalating. It was recommended that we get checked at a local hospital, so we had our daughter drive us. We were grateful to be placed in the same room in the emergency room (ER). A doctor came in, and one of the first questions he asked was our vaccination status. Upon hearing we were not vaccinated, there was an instantaneous change in his communication style. Anita and I both had chest X-rays, and a few minutes later, the doctor came back to say that I had the beginning stages of COVID Pneumonia. Within a minute, a nurse quickly unhooked Anita from the intravenous fluids they had just started, and they wheeled me outside into 95-degree heat while my wife walked slowly behind us. We were told not to worry about the wheelchair and left on the sidewalk to wait for our daughter’s return. I was already having difficulty breathing, and the heat made it all the worse. We were astounded at the treatment, or lack thereof.

Although we didn’t have a plan and had no idea how this would turn out, we just trusted that God was in control. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27 NIV)

At night, I attempted to fall asleep in different ways, but nothing seemed to work. Not being able to breathe was very unsettling. Most of us take for granted the ability to fill our lungs and live life. On one long, unbearable night of coughing and labored breathing, I left my bed and wrote out some thoughts I wanted to share with my kids in case I didn’t get the chance to say it to them in person. Trust me, when you get to a place where you are writing letters like that to your family, your perspective on life has changed.

On the morning of September 2nd, my breathing was extremely labored, and my coughing was uncontrollable. Anita and I decided that I needed to go to the hospital. Since I was on a borrowed home oxygen machine and could not breathe without it, we had to determine whether my family could drive me the 25 minutes to the hospital or if we needed an ambulance. Anita had packed my bag, started the car to cool it down, and sat down to pray, asking the Lord for His clear direction. At that same moment, our daughter Karissa came into our bedroom to check on me and take my temperature. She quickly left the room and ran to Anita after seeing the results… 105.1. While Karissa packed my body with ice packs and cold compresses, Anita called the ambulance, which was quickly dispatched and arrived within five minutes.

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer. (1 Peter 3:12 NIV)

And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him. (1 John 5:15 NIV)

I remember Anita and Karissa trying to stay composed as the ambulance arrived. I was strapped into the gurney and wheeled out to the ambulance. Everything happened so fast that I didn’t have time to say goodbye. I’ll never forget the feeling of seeing Anita standing there watching me get driven away.

Within a minute of arriving at the hospital, I was in the ER. I was put on 10 liters of oxygen, and although it was helping me, it was still difficult to breathe. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I made some family calls, some of which were quite emotional. It is amazing how a near-death experience can bring a hard reality that you have one life to live, and you never know when it will end - for you or those around you.

After a few hours, I was transferred to a COVID-specific room and was only there for one day before the nurses told me I needed more oxygen than they could supply and was being transferred to the COVID Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Upon arriving, I immediately noticed that all of the rooms in the ICU had glass walls from floor to ceiling. I was brought to my room, where wires were connected to me so they could constantly monitor my vitals. There was definitely a different feel here - everything felt more purposeful. I was immediately put on 40 liters of pure oxygen.

During my first day in the ICU, I met both the head ICU doctor and the infectious disease (ID) doctor, and I had good conversations with each. The ID doctor asked if I had been vaccinated, and after hearing I had not been, he was clearly bothered. Soon afterward, he explained his response: his sister had chosen, for herself and her children, not to receive the COVID vaccine. Feeling that was an extremely unwise decision and not wanting unvaccinated people around him, he had officially cut her out of his life. I was shocked by this and quickly responded, telling him that family should supersede vaccination status and urging him to reconsider. After he left, I prayed that God would soften his heart.

I was happy that during his next visit, he apologized for how he had spoken during the previous day’s discussion and said he was seriously considering reaching out to her. I encouraged him that he was making a great decision and, when he looks back on this season, he would appreciate changing his mind.

It’s strange to say, but life became “normal” in the ICU. My “normal” day began with having my blood/gas checked daily at 4 am. A large needle would get stuck in my wrist, taking blood directly from the artery. Not fun, let me tell you. Normal blood/gas numbers are in the upper 80s, and mine had dropped to the low 40s. A few hours later, I would get a daily chest X-ray, the immediate image showing my almost completely white lungs, filled with fluid. Then, I was given a spirometer to check my lung capacity, resulting in a measuring indicator from to 4,000. While an average healthy reading is above 1500, mine was barely reaching 100.

One night, just a couple of days into my time in the ICU, I was suddenly woken by several nurses who wanted me to sit up and take deep breaths (yeah, right). I asked them what was going on and was told my heart rate had dropped to 32!!!! They waited in my room until my heart rate increased, and as they walked out of the room, I remember asking them if I should just go back to sleep. It was surreal.

September 5th was our 29th wedding anniversary. I had now been in the ICU for three days, and things did not look good - everything on paper pointed toward my body failing. Anita and I would do video calls throughout each day, and I did the same with our kids. We had no choice since the hospital had implemented a strict no visitation policy. Anita had been doing tons of research on COVID and met several pivotal people as a result. It was recommended to her that I begin taking Ivermectin, so she contacted the lead ICU doctor, and he refused her request, saying it was hospital policy not to allow Ivermectin for any patients.

The more Anita researched, the more she learned how Ivermectin was proven to help specifically with COVID patients and how it seemed this life-saving medicine was purposefully getting shut down. All the while, I had Remdesivir running through my veins.

Throughout our lives, we have been told to “trust the experts.” How could we ever question the people who had spent their lives dedicated to saving others and had vast knowledge in these matters?
My daily updates from the doctors were growing more serious each day. They wanted me to try a Bi-Pap machine to assist my breathing further. They brought the machine in and said, “Just strap this on, go to sleep, and you’ll feel better in the morning.” This turned out to be one of the more ridiculous things ever said to me. Using this device is equivalent to sticking your head out the window of a car going 150 miles per hour and then opening your mouth. There is a tube strapped directly to your face that forcefully shoots air into your mouth, which never stops. I stayed attached to this torture device for four hours and vowed to never put myself through that again. I had to pull it away from my face to try and take some small breaths that my body could handle before subjecting myself to another barrage of air.

I was in prayer throughout my stay and sang worship songs to pass the time - Victory in Jesus; The Solid Rock; I’m Gonna See a Victory; Great Are You, Lord - these songs repeated over and over in my mind throughout each day.

I felt the prayers of the literal thousands of people we had connected with throughout our years in ministry. Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. (Psalm 91:14-15 NKJV)
Then, one day I felt God clearly saying, “I want you full time in ministry.” My wife had served full-time for 24 years, and I had always given my free time, but now my full-time call was clear. I didn’t hesitate. I knew that God wanted my full focus on Him, and it was time to make the decision to dedicate my life to full-time ministry. It was great to have that conversation with Anita, and we felt perfect peace, knowing I was following God’s direction for my life. That was a conversation I will never forget.

A month prior, we had switched our general practitioner. We didn’t know this at the time but it was definitely a God move. Anita received a call from our new GP to check in on our COVID recovery. When he asked how I was doing, she told him I was in the COVID ICU. He was in shock. Anita explained that she tried talking to the ICU doctor to request Ivermectin and had been denied, so he asked for the doctor’s name. After telling him, he informed Anita that he had previously worked with this doctor for 17 years and would give him a call. What are the chances that the doctor we just switched to a month earlier was a close work colleague of the head ICU doctor? God always has a plan. At that very moment, Anita, her parents, and our children went into prayer, calling down heaven to intervene. In the midst of that powerful prayer time, our GP called Anita back and said that he had personally pleaded with the ICU doctor to allow me Ivermectin, and he had acquiesced, allowing only one dose as long as my family would provide it.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28 NIV)

Anita immediately scrambled, asking her family and friends online if they had any spare Ivermectin, which was extremely difficult to get. A few hours later, Anita’s sister got a response from someone from her church who had an extra dose. Karissa drove Anita to the next town around 9 pm to meet this angel woman, standing on the side of the road with the medication. They pulled up and rolled down the window; the lady said, “Are you Anita?” And the handoff was made!

Anita and Karissa raced to the hospital and met our other kids there. I told them I was on the first floor somewhere in the hospital, and the kids literally ran around the hospital until they found my room window. I cannot tell you how it felt to see them in real life after not seeing their faces for over a week. We did our best to hold back the tears, but they came anyway. They were instructed to leave the dose with the ER Security, and a few moments later, the nurse came in with the Ivermectin. That was at 11 pm. The next morning at 4 am, like clockwork, they took my daily blood/gas numbers, which shot up from 49 the previous morning to 93 - in just five hours. God is so good.


When Anita heard about the change in my condition, all personal restrictions were out the door. Her husband had to be saved, and she knew what it would take. A new friend and nurse spoke with Anita and recommended she “go rogue.” Simply said, from that point forward, she did what she felt in her heart from God that she needed to do.

The next day, the physical therapist came into my room, first telling me how he was excited to meet me since he had heard about my quick turnaround and then asking if I wanted to try walking again. I hadn’t stood in over a week, but I was excited at the opportunity. I could barely stand up, so I held onto the portable air machine for support. I slowly walked a lap around the ICU unit and saw room after room with people hooked up to ventilators, not moving. After one lap around, I stuck to the hallway where I wouldn’t see the other patients. It was too much.

Things happened very quickly after that. I received the news that I was leaving the ICU! As they wheeled me out, I thanked all the nurses and said, “You must live for this moment - when you get someone out of the ICU!”

They responded, “Ron, you are the only one that has made it out of the ICU. Everyone around you is dying.”
That was one of the most sobering moments of my life. I couldn’t respond as the immenseness of that statement hit me. I was so grateful for all the prayers from people around the world, the tenacious spirit of my wife, who never gave up on me, and MOST IMPORTANT of all, for our Heavenly Father, who orchestrated my healing.

Looking back, I am amazed at the peace God provided me. I have heard story after story from other people that went through major mental anguish during their COVID ICU stays, and I am so happy that wasn’t my experience. When you put your trust and faith in the Almighty, nothing is impossible. My story is evidence.

Since God saved my life, we have been on a whirlwind tour. I have learned the enormous opportunity God gives us with every breath, and I intend to use each breath for His glory. We met General Flynn and the Iowa Momma Bears. We spent an evening with Bo Snerdley and was interviewed for his COVID focused podcast. We started Frontline Community Care Network, a group of doctors, nurses, health experts, and tenacious nonmedical folks like us who are proactively providing education and services to assist our communities in wellness. We also started Spark New Life to help coach and mentor people financially and in life to bring balance and freedom. 
Your life is a gift from God. Are you using the power God gives you through His Spirit and each breath in your lungs to be a light in your family? Your community? Are you using your precious days to reach others with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? It’s never too late to make a change in your life or the life of someone around you – your words can have eternal implications for others. I invite you to join me and create your own legacy. Don’t waste a single breath.

Please reach out to me if you have any questions, or just want to talk. You can go to the connect pagefill out the form and I will get back to you as soon as I get the message. I look forward to connecting with you!

My life verse: But in your hearts revere Christ the Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and (1 Peter 3:15)
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