Family, friends pray for firefighter with COVID
Little flames licked the air, cradled in the hands of those who typically extinguish them.
Saturday night, about 40 to 45 friends and family from various fire departments stood outside UPMC Passavant Hospital in McCandless where inside their brother of fire, Greg Vickinovac of Adams Township, continued his battle with COVID-19. He was placed on a ventilator Thursday.
“We've always been part of that family. No matter the different stations, we're all family,” said Nicole Vickinovac, Greg's wife. “I was pretty shocked and impressed. I was overwhelmed by this entire response. It showed the impact my husband has had on so many people.”
At least one fire truck, as well as some other fire vehicles, were parked outside the hospital. The firefighters sang a couple of songs amid a night full of prayers.“They always talk about brotherhood, so it shows that they truly mean it, that they're always there for each other,” said Faith Vickinovac, Greg's 18-year-old daughter.Greg's son, Michael Vickinovac, 20, said he, like his entire family, appreciated how everyone showed up for his father because his father has helped so many in times of need.“I think my dad welcomes anybody into his life, and he wants the best for everybody,” he said. “He wants to lend a hand to everybody. He wants to help.”Greg is a member of the Middlesex Township Fire Department, and he and his family have been members of many others, too, according to Lynn Chiaramonte, a lifetime member of the Middlesex Township Fire Department.“I've known him since he was 20 years old,” she said. “It's emotional not knowing. Knowing that any one of us could be in that exact situation. It just hurts.”Chiaramonte said she was pleased with the turnout of firefighters and other department members, hailing from Middlesex Township, Adams Area, Callery, Richland Township (Allegheny County) and Peebles (McCandless, Allegheny County) departments.“We couldn't be inside to be with Greg, so we're hoping that our presence there reached him,” she said.According to Nicole Vickinovac, Greg started showing symptoms a couple of weeks ago. She said her husband was hospitalized and released twice before his current hospitalization.
“They put him on the CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure machine). They said the CPAP was just doing its job,” Nicole Vickinovac said. “Then they put him on the vent to let him rest and help him heal comfortably.”She said it's difficult not having him home. She said there are good times and bad times. Little memories sometimes trigger deep feelings, she said.“Yesterday, my chest was like caving in because my phone was going off all the time,” she said.But she knows, too, that's a testament to the many people who love and appreciate her husband.“(It's) the overwhelming response to how much my husband is loved and the best man that I could ever imagine,” she said.
In Greg's absence, Nicole said she and her children have relied on one another more than ever, constantly checking on one another and making sure they stay healthy and together.According to Faith and Michael, they're trying their best, but it's not the same as having their father home.“He's the greatest dad. He's my hero. He's my best friend,” Faith said. “I don't know what I'd do without him.”“He's the hardest working guy I know, and he puts people before himself,” Michael said. “I hope to have a family like him some day because he does an awesome job as a father.”Chiaramonte said the support and prayers Saturday night were for Greg, but the firefighters were surrounding his family with love, too. The prayers were for Greg's recovery, but also for his wife and four children. The couple also have two older children, Patty, 24, and Kevin, 22.“Prayer is something I believe in and that results in miracles, so that's what we decided to do,” Chiaramonte said.
