LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The woman behind the "I am Dixie Highway" Facebook group has dedicated years of her live to keeping thousands of neighbors informed on the happenings in their community.
That didn’t stop when she tested positive for coronavirus.
"You don’t want anyone to go through what we have gone through," Cathy Borden said Wednesday, days after being cleared from quarantine by the health department.
For Borden, the symptoms came suddenly.
"I was in the kitchen, and I was standing at the stove, and a wash of collapse just came over me," she described. "The chills the first night were so bad that I chipped a tooth."
Borden, her husband and her daughter all tested positive in August.
"All of my sons had been over to my house the day before we even knew we were sick, none of them got it," she said.
Concerned by the randomness of this virus, Borden said it is important that people continue to wash their hands, wear masks and social distance
“We did everything we were supposed to do, but we got complacent," Borden said. "We're smarter than that."
Through her quarantine, Borden said she never felt alone. She shared her story on "I am Dixie Highway," and the post flooded with well-wishes from over a thousand people. Some even delivered cards and other treats to her doorstep.
"I couldn't have come out on the other side of this without my family, and without 'I am Dixie Highway,'" she said.
Though she's been cleared by the health department and didn't have to go to the hospital, Borden said she still feels weak.
"The fatigue is the worst," Borden said, "and you start thinking, 'Am I ever going to feel better?'"
She said she is grateful, though, for the strangers turned friends who are helping her through.
"We’re all neighbors, some of us just haven't met yet," Borden said,
Borden said she is also thankful to the health department for calling to check on her during quarantine. Her husband and her daughter continue to recover, as well.
Contact reporter Heather Fountaine at hfountaine@whas11.com. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
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