PECONIC, NY — Barbara and Teddy Szczotka have been married 61 years and were high school sweethearts. Together, they’ve raised their children, worked hard as farmers on the North Fork, and weathered many storms. But nothing compared to their most recent victory — both were diagnosed with the new coronavirus.

And both survived.

They were recently released from the hospital and are on the road to recovery.

According to Karen Szczotka, her mother, 79, and her father, who turned 81 last weekend, are very independent, living on their own in Peconic. They’ve faced daunting health issues; Barbara is a two-time breast cancer survivor and Teddy has a heart condition. In fact, she said, he was recovering from a recent stay in rehabilitation for another issue and had just returned home on April 2 — but two weeks later, both her parents were diagnosed with COVID-19, she said.

Her father, Karen said, felt as though he had a cold; eventually, his fever spoked and he showed symptoms of respiratory distress, so he was taken to Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport, where her sister Nancy Szczotka and sister-in-law Brenda Szczotka both work.

Although her mother also tested positive, she wasn’t in respiratory distress and her oxygen levels and vitals were good, so she was told to go home, Karen said. “A week later her oxygen levels started to drop so she was taken to the ER by rescue,” she said.

What followed were long days of fear and uncertainty, Karen said.

“It was terrifying. Dad was in ICU for awhile. It was touch and go, but he pulled through, the tough potato farmer that he is,” she said.

Karen said she and her sister Nancy and brother Ted grew up on the North Fork; their family was the fourth generation in a long line of farmers at the Doroski potato farm.

Her parents, she said, were so sick that they don’t even remember their first few days in the hospital. “Our mom’s fever was spiking up to 103 degrees, and it’s scary when you have parents that age, who are so sick. It’s a terrifying thing.”

Their coronavirus journey was also riddled with insurance challenges, Karen said. But thanks to the help of elected officials including Rep. Lee Zeldin and New York State Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo, those obstacles were scaled and roadblocks eased.

And finally, both of her parents were released from SBELIH, her mom first and then her father, just two days ago.

Currently, they are recovering at the Hamptons Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing in Southampton, Karen said.

Her parents are in a “husband-and-wife room. So they’re together,” she said.

Barbara and Teddy, their daughter said, are grateful to have survived. “After realizing how sick they were, they were so happy. They’ve seen others who have gone through it, and their stories are so sad, and they say, ‘We are so lucky that we made it.'”

Her father, Karen said, was first hospitalized on the night of Easter Sunday and was in ICU, in critical condition for days before he turned a corner.

Her father, she said, is a proverbial pillar of strength.

“We tease him. We call him ‘the mayor.’ He’s such a local potato farmer,” she said. “He knows everyone and everyone knows him. He’s a big teddy bear.”

When her mother was released from the hospital a few days before her husband, Karen said: “It was upsetting. They didn’t want to leave each other.”

Even at SBELIH, the couple had rooms right next to one another and when they started to recover, the staff let them eat lunch together. “It was touching,” she said.

Teddy, who turned 81 last weekend while still hospitalized, and Barbara both attended Southold High School. After they were married, he served in the Army and was stationed in Tennessee; when Barbara found out she was pregnant with their first child, they moved back to the North Fork and began working on the family farm.

Teddy is also well known in the Southold community as a member of the fire department.

“You can’t get any more local than they are,” Karen said.

The past months, she said, have been difficult, with her father in a nursing home since December for another issue that was also closed to visitors after the pandemic began; he finally returned home in early April only to be diagnosed with COVID-19.

“Our family has been hit hard with this,” Karen said.

But she said her siblings all bonded and worked together to get through the darkest of days.

Today, although her parents can’t have visitors in quarantine, the staff at the rehabilitation center facilitates family conference calls and give frequent updates.

Seeing them together, in the same room, Karen said, is heartwarming.

But witnessing them both so sick was devastating, she said. Her mother and father had different symptoms, she said; she never had pneumonia but her father did.

“It was really surreal. We are so blessed that they made it,” Karen said. “From my lips to God’s ears, they will have many, many more years together.”

Facing the reality of two parents with coronavirus has been a life-altering experience that evoked new realizations, Karen said.

“We were always a very close family but this brought us all even closer. I learned that we work great as a team. We really are tenacious and obviously, we come from great stock,” she said.

And, Karen said: “Prayers really work. It’s a miracle that they are both here.”

She credits faith, as well as the love and kindness of the “North Fork strong” community, for the ability to find strength during such a difficult time.

Once her parents are released, she added, they will have to acclimate to the “new normal” that has evolved during the weeks that they were hospitalized.

And one thing is for sure, Karen said: “Once they are home, I will never take another thing for granted. Never put off going to visit your parents. You don’t know how much longer anyone has got.”

If a friend needs to talk and have a cup of coffee, Karen said: “Take 20 minutes and have that cup of coffee. Life is so fragile and you don’t realize it until you see your parents hurting so much. You feel vulnerable and helpless but you have to be strong and happy for them, even though it’s tearing you apart.”

Her mother, before she left for the hospital, told her, “‘Karen, you might lose both your parents from this.’ And I said, ‘No, I will not. You’re going to fight this.'”

What she’s learned, Karen said, is “you can’t give up. You have to persevere and just keep focusing on the goal. We weren’t going to take no for an answer. It’s unacceptable.”

On the day she found out that her parents were going to rehab, Karen said: “I cried the hardest I have in years. I got to witness that my prayers were answered. I just looked up and said, ‘Thank you. Thank you.'”

Having to attend a memorial service Friday, Karen said: “You realize, ‘This could have been my parents.’ It really hit home for me.”

Nancy, Karen’s sister, wrote on Facebook about the joyful clap out the SBELIH staff gave their father as he was released: “Well, it’s been a long road but we will survive. I’m so blessed to say that both of my parents survived COVID! SBELIH had a nice send off along with Southold Fire Department, with the caring staff along with the doctors.”

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