PINE BLUFF, Ark. — (Eds. note: The attached video is from March 2021, as James Black shared his story one year after overcoming the first positive COVID diagnosis in Arkansas.)
The first Arkansan who was diagnosed with COVID-19 in the state has died, according to healthcare professionals at Jefferson Regional Medical Center.
James Lee Black, who was first diagnosed in March of 2020 near the beginning of the pandemic, spent roughly 47 days at Jefferson Regional -- with staff saying that he became like "family."
"[James] spent 47 days with us here [and] became like family. One year later, he and his wife, Shaunika returned for our COVID remembrance day event. Caring for Mr. Black was a privilege and we regret that he has left us so soon," the hospital said in a statement.
The hospital has not disclosed a cause of death for Black, but shared their condolences in his passing.
Back in March, Black and his wife shared their story with THV11, where they said that they remembered his diagnosis "like it was just yesterday."
After returning form a trip to New Orleans, Black was sent to isolation after testing positive for the virus.
Black's wife Shaunika described the immediate fear that the two felt as the entire hospital shut down, with knowledge of the coronavirus being very limited at the time.
He spent weeks on a ventilator and months with a trach, and doctors told his wife he may not beat the virus due to resources that weren't available at the time.
In total, he was at Jefferson Regional in Pine Bluff for over three months and fought his way out of the hospital and back home.
While he had his fair share of readjustments when making it back home, Black fought through the adversity and was just grateful to have beaten the virus.
“I had to learn how to walk again,” Black said. “I had to learn how to talk again."
The pandemic impacted thousands of people in Arkansas, with with the state seeing over 226,000 cases in 2020 and steadily increasing to nearly 400,000 cases in 2022.
2023 broke the constant climb, with COVID cases drastically dropping in Arkansas to only about 26,000 cases for this year.