Dr. William “Bill” Whyte

Dr. William “Bill” Whyte, a local pain medicine specialist, began feeling ill in March 2020 as COVID-19 cases were rising across Louisiana. When Dr. Whyte’s condition rapidly declined and his oxygen levels fell, his wife, Martha, also the Director for Public Health in Region 7 of Louisiana, rushed him to the hospital. When it became clear that his COVID-19 symptoms were not improving, he was transferred to Ochsner LSU Health. As one of the earliest severe COVID-19 patients to be treated in North Louisiana, the Pulmonary and Critical Care team worked diligently to provide every possible treatment available. Dr. Whyte was placed on Extracorporeal Carbon Dioxide Removal (ECOR) to remove the excess of CO2 from his body, and he was the first patient in Louisiana to receive a convalescent plasma exchange. Dr. Whyte’s condition remained critical for more than a month, and he was resuscitated six times during his stay. Dr. Whyte was released from the hospital on May 17, 2020, and has had a long journey on the road to recovery. After several weeks of physical and occupational therapy at the LSU Health Shreveport Faculty Rehabilitation Clinic, he is now back to work and thankful for a second chance at life.