Up To Date

After An 80-Day Bout With The Coronavirus, This Grandview Man Is Finally Back Home

By Steve Kraske,

Danie Alexander, Mackenzie Martin, Chris Young

Published July 30, 2020 at 5:24 PM CDT

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Shakell Avery, pictured center with his fiance and son, survived an extensive battle with COVID-19.

He had no known preexisting conditions and is much younger than the stereotypical COVID-19 patient, but Shakell Avery still spent more than two months fighting the virus.

Despite lapsing into a coma and being put on a ventilator, Avery has recovered and returned home to his fiance and 2-year-old son.

Shakell Avery, Grandview, Missouri, resident and COVID-19 survivor

Up To Date is looking to tell the stories of Kansas City area residents who have died of or survived a bout with COVID-19. If you’d like to share your story or someone else's, send us an email at uptodate@kcur.org.

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Up To Date Coronavirus Grandview Talk Show Podcast health care Health

Steve Kraske

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.

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Danie Alexander

As senior producer of Up To Date, I want our listeners to hear familiar and new voices that shine light on the issues and challenges facing the myriad communities KCUR serves, and to expose our audiences to the wonderful and the creative in the Kansas City area. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. Reach me at alexanderdk@kcur.org.

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Mackenzie Martin

Whether it’s something happening right now or something that happened 100 years ago, some stories don’t fit in the short few minutes of a newscast. As a podcast producer and reporter at KCUR Studios, I help investigate questions and local curiosities in a way that brings listeners along for adventures with plot twists and thought-provoking ideas. Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer in the end – but my hope is that we all leave with a greater understanding of the city we live in. Reach me at mackenzie@kcur.org.

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Chris Young

Chris Young is an Assistant Producer for KCUR’s Up To Date. Contact him at chrisy@kcur.org.

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