ORANGE PARK – The hallways were lined with people wearing scrubs and masks. Some were finishing another long day at Orange Park Medical Center in the worldwide fight against COVID-19; others were about to start their exhausting shift.

For nurses and doctors, volunteers and executives, friends and family, there was an overwhelming sense of happiness and gratification to see 88-year-old Nancy Garrett being wheeled through the hospital and out the front door for the first time in nearly three weeks.

A polite applause quickly turned into an ovation inside the building as she got closer to feeling the sun and wind on her face. When the motion-activated doors finally opened, there was more applause, a lot of smiles – behind masks – and plenty of tears after she survived taking the worst COVID-19 had to offer.

“God is good,” she said, hold her arms apart in triumph.

The 60-year resident of Clay County, retired pediatric nurse and 25-year emergency room volunteer at Orange Park Medical Center was discharged to start rehabilitation on April 17 after fighting the deadly virus for 23 days.

Her daughter, Kathleen Rich, clearly being cautious of the virus, stood much further than the recommended six feet with a sign to remind her mother how much she’s loved.

Garrett’s son was first to welcome her as she left the hospital.

“When we put her in there three weeks ago, mom knew right away what was going on. She said ‘I got pneumonia and I got it from that virus.’ It’s been a long haul,” Carlyle Martin said.

“I could tell last weekend she was starting to feel a lot better because of the way she talked, what she was asking.”

Garrett said she never lost hope.

“All I thought was, ‘I’m going to get better so I can look at the sunshine outside.’ I know that I have a family to live for,” she said. “I have four kids, 10 grandkids and two great-grandchildren.

“God wasn’t finished with me. The day I came in here, I never had a negative thought. It was always that `I’m going to get better′ and I have.”

Her doctor, Luis Laos, made a quick to say goodbye during his rounds. Garrett said he sat with her during his lunch hour and the two talked about their lives.

“He shared with me. We talked about traveling,” Garrett said. “I know he has two beautiful daughters. I know where he went to school, I know where he went to school, he’s originally from Peru. I know everything but his blood type.”

Said Laos: “She’s one of my best patients. Patients like her are one in a million.”

Garrett said despite being considered one of the most at-risk to be affected by COVID-19, she kept a positive attitude. Giving up was never an option.

“The glass is always half full,” she said. “I knew I was just sick and that I was going to get better. I’m going to cross that river and I’m going to be looking all around and thanking God for being able to make that trip today.”