Lexington, Ky. (April 21, 2020) — Dr. Jeffrey Foxx, a longtime Lexington physician who contracted COVID-19 in March, was discharged from Baptist Health Lexington today. His hospitalization coincided with a race to find a treatment for the virus, including a convalescent plasma therapy that was achieved with the collaboration of the staff at Baptist Health, colleagues from Foxx’s medical offices, the FDA, and other medical facilities.   

In the time before COVID-19, Foxx played keyboards in a philanthropic cover band called Silverback. His favorite song: the Beatles classic “With a Little Help from My Friends.”

And he says that he is thankful for his friends as well as the staff as Baptist Health for making it possible to go home.

“I have no doubt that if it were not for the staff at Baptist Health, I would not be here today. From the techs, to nurses, and doctors, everyone that cared for me was nothing but professional and caring,” he said. “It was truly a team effort with everyone doing their part to save my life.”

The 64-year-old physician entered the hospital as a patient on March 24, still in the developing stages of the coronavirus situation in Kentucky. It was just March 6 that the state’s first known case of COVID-19 was announced.

The disease can be severe in some, attacking the lungs and damaging other organs. The critically ill Foxx required treatment in the ICU and relied on a ventilator to help him breath. Among the treatments used on Foxx as well as another patient was an experimental convalescent plasma therapy.

Locating the plasma donor, a recovered COVID-19 patient, and collecting the plasma, came about through the efforts of Baptist Health physicians, the Kentucky Blood Center, and the staff who worked alongside Foxx at his Lexington office.

One of the key players in finding a donor was Foxx’s friend and CEO at Family Practice Associates, Craig Gillispie, who contacted Harrison Memorial Hospital who then reached out to the donor, Ray Young.

“The different organizations, including our doctors at FPA, were able to work with the hospitals and blood bank, to get in touch with this patient and quickly get the plasma procedure started,” said Gillispie. “I think it’s a testament to these different entities coming together to collaborate.”

Foxx is grateful to survive with the help of his friends and the dedicated staff at Baptist Health Lexington who searched for a treatment they hope will help all coronavirus patients. But he knows that he still faces a long recovery. It’s a testament to the severity of the coronavirus and the damage it can inflict.

“I want everyone to know that COVID-19 is not to be taken lightly,” he said. “Without safety precautions, testing, and treatment, it can be overwhelming.”