DETROIT – The family of an 80-year-old man who tested positive for the coronavirus this week spoke about what signs they saw leading up to the diagnosis and how they’re dealing with the situation today.
Shawn Ley spoke with the man’s daughter, who said he is 80 years old but was still very active.
Suddenly, last week, it seemed like he simply shut down, his daughter said.
“It is stressful,” she said. “He is everything to us.”
The Detroit family is now dealing with the stress of knowing their 80-year-old father has coronavirus. He tested positive for the virus Thursday night.
His daughter said he went to Sinai-Grace Hospital on Saturday, saying he felt awful.
“Shocked,” she said. “We were in shock. We know it is out there."
She shared what the early stages of the illness looked like in her father.
“All last week he wasn’t feeling well,” she said. “He passed out.”
The man’s daughters both work in the health care industry. They visited their father while he waited for days to get his test results back.
They said they saw first-hand what we’ve been hearing from a coronavirus nurse at Sinai-Grace Hospital -- that the staff seems overwhelmed handling the steady flow of regular patients while also trying to take care of the people with coronavirus and coronavirus symptoms.
Family members said they aren’t sure how the man got coronavirus. THey’re relying on prayer and the support of family and friends, hoping he recovers.