Andy Hodge Went In With a Broken Leg. His Sister Says COVID Protocols Took Over
In 2020, Andy Hodge was a 38-year-old licensed plumber, a single father of three, and a Kentucky resident who lived with his sister, Ellie Hodge Hayse, and her family. Ellie described his life as “perfection.”
That life changed in August 2020, when Andy broke his left leg in a work-related accident. The accident, subsequent surgeries, hospitalizations, and a positive COVID-19 PCR test set off a cascade of events that ended with his death on March 2, 2021. According to the source account, the hospital later declared him brain dead.
Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D., reported the story for The Defender, which The Gateway Pundit republished. Ellie provided medical records and other documents. She believes COVID-19 hospital protocols played a major role in what happened to her brother.
After Andy’s death, Ellie said she found inconsistencies in hospital records that raised questions about his care. Lawyers declined to take the case. She later co-launched Dead Serious…Kinda Not, an advocacy group for families who believe loved ones were harmed by COVID-19 hospital protocols.
“We can’t have a chapter where I can set it down and say, ‘This is what happened to my brother,’” Ellie said. “We don’t get that. We get nothing, and it makes me sad.”
Andy’s original injury was severe. His orthopedist, Dr. David Seligson, reportedly described the crushed ankle as “one of the worst cases” he had seen. The planned surgery was considered complicated and high-risk.
Doctors at University of Louisville hospital placed screws in Andy’s leg. He was prescribed blood thinners and antibiotics. About two months later, he began experiencing a different kind of pain. The screws were protruding from his ankle.
Andy faced delays before a second surgery. UofL attributed the delay to being “short-staffed due to COVID.” The second surgery was also unsuccessful, and Ellie said Andy continued to experience “horrible” pain. Despite that, a nurse practitioner at UofL Orthopedics cleared him to return to work on Jan. 18, 2021.
Still suffering, Andy went to the emergency room at Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center in Leitchfield, Kentucky, on Feb. 10. According to Ellie, staff focused on respiratory concerns instead of his leg. In a text message to his sister, Andy said a nurse told him, “We’re not worried about your leg right now. We’re worried about saving your life.”
Andy was admitted, placed on oxygen, and prescribed another round of antibiotics. Four days later, he told Ellie he was “feeling better.” But his leg was still sore, and he said staff were ignoring those complaints. Andy also told his sister that if doctors placed him on a ventilator, he wanted her to “please don’t let them shut it off.”
The following day, Twin Lakes doctors transferred Andy to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital for a bronchoscopy. The hospital was part of the same system. Andy and Ellie asked for a transfer to Norton Hospital in Louisville instead. Andy changed his mind after, he told Ellie, doctors said he would die if he did not accept the Owensboro transfer.
Andy arrived at Owensboro on Feb. 17, 2021, in stable condition. The family had been told the transfer was for a bronchoscopy. Hospital records, however, listed it as an emergency transfer for respiratory issues.
“What I can say isn’t in the notes anywhere is his leg. They didn’t check it. They didn’t even acknowledge it,” Ellie said.
Ellie later learned that Andy received two COVID-19 tests on Feb. 17. The nasal swab was negative, but a PCR test conducted by Dr. Jason Mills, identified in the account as an Owensboro board member, came back positive. The hospital then initiated its COVID-19 protocol.
The next day, Owensboro administered Andy’s first of five doses of remdesivir. Ellie also said staff offered him little food or water and failed to provide some maintenance medications he needed. She believes the focus on COVID-19 pushed his original leg injury out of view.
Ellie’s account remains a family account supported, she says, by hospital records and other documentation. Her advocacy work now centers on families who believe similar hospital protocols affected their loved ones. Andy’s case, she says, left unanswered questions about what doctors treated, what they documented, and what they failed to address.