‘Covid Is A Beast Without A Heart’: Tecumseh Pastor Survives Near-Death Battle With Virus

Tony Peake said he’s regaining strength one day at a time. 

The Tecumseh pastor has been out of the hospital since June following a battle with COVID-19 that spanned longer than six months. 

“I think I’ve learned a lot more about who God is and a lot more about who I am,” Peake said. 

Peake was admitted in a hospital first in November. Throughout his treatment, doctors told his wife, Alicia, on three separate occasions that he may not survive. 

Peake said he developed a warrior mentality to keep fighting. 

“I just developed a motto that the road back home would be paved with pain so when I hurt, don’t worry about it. You just get closer to home. And that’s the way I fought my way back,” he said. 

After he was released, his strength and endurance were shot. Peake said the amount of physical therapy he would have to undergo, at one point, seemed overwhelming. 

“I had kind of made up my mind that I was probably going to be in hospitals and nursing homes for the rest of my life,” he said. “We’ve gone so far past that; I just thank God for that so much.” 

This week Peake reached a milestone in his recovery by throwing the first pitch at a high school softball game. 

“I just couldn’t believe being asked to do that and that I was actually able to do that,” he said. “My whole prayer the whole time was, ‘Lord, don’t let me bounce it.’ It’s a dream come true,” Peake said. 

The battle, unfortunately, is not over. Peake’s sister is being treated for the virus in a hospital bed and was recently on a ventilator. 

“Take every precaution that you can because COVID is a beast without a heart,” Peake said. “It has no compassion. It will strike anybody, and it doesn’t matter who it leaves dead along the way.”