Pastor Jerry Miranda hugs Teresa, his wife of 38 years, as she’s released from Salem Hospital on April 2, 2020 after recovering from a serious case of COVID-19 (Amanda Loman/Special to Salem Reporter)
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It’s been more than two weeks since Jerry and Teresa Miranda have held hands, hugged or even been in the same room.
But on Thursday afternoon, the couple of 38 years celebrated a tearful reunion outside Salem Hospital as Teresa, 56, was cleared to return home after battling a serious case of COVID-19.
Miranda embraced his wife as soon as she came out the hospital doors, with two hospital workers pushing her wheelchair and carrying an oxygen tank.
“So happy to see you. Welcome home,” he said as Teresa teared up.
Teresa Miranda gets in the car with help from her husband, Jerry, to head home after being released from Salem Hospital on April 2, 2020 (Amanda Loman/Special to Salem Reporter)
The pair had been separated since March 15, when Miranda drove his wife to Salem Hospital’s emergency room after she began having trouble breathing. He wasn’t allowed to remain with her – the hospital had recently instituted a policy barring most visitors to limit the infection’s spread. Instead, waited anxiously at home for updates.
Her prognosis wasn’t good. Soon after arrival, Miranda said, doctors put her in a medically-induced coma and on a ventilator. She wasn’t breathing on her own.
Miranda, 58, had to take a break from his duties as pastor of Salem Tabernacle Church as he stayed home alone in quarantine to pray for his wife’s recovery. The couple founded the church together shortly after they moved to Salem in 1988.
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About a week after she went into the hospital, Teresa’s condition looked better. Miranda posted near-daily video updates on his Facebook page, praying for a miracle. People from around the world contacted him, he said, joining their prayers with his. And Teresa began to get better, first waking up, then being moved out of the intensive care unit.
Miranda learned Wednesday his wife was due to be released and talked with her over Facetime. He got a call Thursday telling him to come to the hospital’s loading area at 1:45 p.m.
Teresa held a clear plastic bag of her clothes and shook as Miranda and the hospital workers helped her into the passenger seat of the family’s car. She wore a navy blue t-shirt reading “Familias Fuertes” – strong families.
Teresa Miranda embraces her husband Jerry as she’s released from Salem Hospital on April 2, 2020 following a serious case of COVID-19 (Amanda Loman/Special to Salem Reporter)
One of their sons is getting married this weekend, Miranda said. They’ve scaled back a planned ceremony of 500 people to just 10 guests, with the rest attending via livestream.
Teresa said she felt “pretty awesome” about going home and was “really excited” to attend her son’s wedding.
It’s the longest the couple has been separated during their marriage, Miranda said.
They pulled away from the hospital in a black Mercedes, sporting a custom Oregon license plate: “Unidos.” United.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander at [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
