COVID-free…at last

After more than two months of fighting the COVID-19 virus, an Elgin family of four is thankful to be reunited after three of them contracted COVID-19.

Olivia Morales, 22, looks back on March 2020 with bemusement. “When everything was in lockdown and none of us were sick, we thought we were bored,” she said. “But that was nothing compared to this. We would rather be bored than have anyone experience anything like this.”

In early April, her father, Bernardo Morales, 61, phoned home to say he was leaving work early because he felt ill. Shortly after, he was diagnosed with COVID-19.

“Our entire world came crashing down, just because we didn’t know what to expect,” remembers Olivia. The same day of Bernardo’s diagnosis, his wife Carolina Vazquez, 61, developed a cough.

In a span of just a few days, Olivia found herself caring for two parents, each sick with COVID-19.

“My dad was isolated in one room, my mom in another, and my sister in another,” said Olivia. Each time she entered a room to care for one of her sick parents, Olivia wore a mask, gloves, lab goggles and a bathrobe. To make matters worse, Olivia’s sister, Karina, 24, suffers from acute asthma, and is considered especially vulnerable to the virus. Eventually, she was able to move out of the family home to avoid getting sick.

When Bernardo couldn’t even reach over for the water bottle on his nightstand and had difficulty talking, Olivia decided to take him to the hospital. That night, Olivia began showing symptoms of the virus.

Bernardo stayed hospitalized for two months, undergoing intubation and a tracheotomy and being confined to a rotoprone bed, rotating him to face downward to promote healing in his lungs. While he was hospitalized, his wife Carolina required 5 days of hospitalization. Olivia, also positive with COVID, was able to recuperate entirely at home. But the hardest part of the virus can be the way loved ones are kept apart.

“For two months, we couldn’t see my dad, or be there for support next to him. All we could do was FaceTime him. Our way of communication was my Dad writing on his white board … He was not able to talk or eat for over a month and a half.”

If it hadn’t been for the hard work of the healthcare professionals at both Advocate Sherman and Kindred Hospitals, Olivia says the separation from her Dad would’ve been even harder. One particular nurse at Sherman, Brenda MacDonnell, showed extra kindness.

“My dad told us how she treated him like family,” says Olivia. “She truly went above and beyond, leaving us detailed updates, comforting us, and putting him on FaceTime for us.”

The aftermath

Now that the worst is behind them, Olivia reflects on what she learned during their family’s battle with COVID-19.

Although the entire Morales family is virus free, her father, who previously had no underlying health problems, is on oxygen and won’t be able to return to his job at a factory for a while. “They say his lungs are still pretty damaged,” says Olivia. “The pulmonologist looked at his medical records from the hospital stay and told us he was lucky to be alive.”

Olivia says she had the least serious case of her family. Her mother, Carolina, feels good now, other than getting tired more easily.

“I know everyone says it over and over, but definitely wear a face covering when you’re out in public in order to help slow down the spread of the virus,” says Olivia.

“Another thing: tell your family members that you love them, as much as possible,” she says. “You never really know when your last goodbye will be.”

Photo: l-r Karina and Oliva Morales are happy to have both parents home after contracting COVID-19. Carolina Velazquez was hospitalized for 5 days; her husband, Bernardo Morales, came home on June 11 after two months of hospitalization.

Headline: COVID-Free, At Last

---