Living with my parents who tested positive for COVID-19
By: Fabiola Perez Lopez
Tags: Covid 19, Coronavirus, Personal Essay

Digital resource provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Center.

When I received my father’s positive test results, I felt my heart drop. My body started to shake and I could not stop myself from crying. My father is a diabetic who takes insulin to regulate his glucose levels. He also has to take multiple pills every day to help with blood pressure and cholesterol. I could not stop crying because I feared for his life.

So many thoughts crossed my mind. I had to let my family know so they could get tested as soon as possible. I Googled the steps we had to take when an individual tested positive. I was freaking out so much that I did not realize the test results included information on what an infected person should practice. After a couple of breaths, it was time for me to inform my dad.

I wish I knew what my father was thinking when he was informed he was positive. We immediately took precautions; we wore masks, kept ourselves six feet apart from my father, sanitized the whole house and began to wash all our clothes, blankets, towels and bedsheets.

I called my oldest sister, Betty, to let her know she had to get tested. We were concerned about my 11-month-old niece. What if she got sick as well? Would she be strong enough to fight the virus? The mind can be very scary when you let yourself get trapped into the “what if” questions.

One of my brothers had visited my sister in the morning and if my father was sick then we might be carrying the virus as well and spreading it around. The responsible decision was to self-isolate until my father got his results. I was frustrated with Rickey’s irresponsibility. I had personally warned him that we could not risk getting anyone sick. There are some days where I feel like I jinxed the test results. I let the rest of my siblings know so they could start making appointments to get tested. My mom had just come home from work and she likes to keep her distance until she can shower, but at this point who cares? We might as well all have COVID-19.

The night of my father’s diagnosis, the fear that hovered over me only grew. He was so cold he could not stop shivering. He laid in his bed covered in blankets to help with his chilling symptoms. I will never forget how the house echoed with the loud coughs coming from my father. The coughs sounded like he could not breathe any fresh air.

Since we found out my father was sick we made sure to take cleaning to the next level. I wake up every morning to the irritating scent of Clorox. Since we are a household of six with one bathroom it was necessary to keep it clean. For the rest of the day anyone who uses the bathroom has to sanitize everything they touch with sanitizing wipes. I am constantly washing my hands. I have to use extra moisturizer to prevent my hands from drying up. Everyday I sanitize my phone, laptop, chargers, door handles, cabinet handles, chair, remote controls and any other item I touch in my bedroom. We wear masks all day long and my mother can even nap with them on.

My father was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Nov. 18. It will be almost two weeks since we had to readjust our lifestyles once more because of the virus. My family and I get tested every week. After the third test we took. my mother tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 30. My mother has asthma, which makes it hard for her to breathe at times.

The same fear I felt for my father came back for my mother. My mind went back to the “what if” questions once more. Living with one parent who has COVID-19 was already stressful but with two; you feel terrified and hopeless.

Before both diagnoses we self-isolated from the public and had very minimal contact with anyone outside of our household. But now we have to self-isolate in our own house. We stay mostly in our rooms for the majority of the day except my parents who sleep now in separate rooms. My sister and I keep our own plates, bowls, cups and utensils in our room to prevent spreading any germs.

We were not really planning to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. Although, one of our family friends dropped off a turkey for us so we could at least have a small feast in our house. The dinner was lovely except it did not feel the same as our past Thanksgivings. We could not celebrate with the rest of my siblings for their safety.

It has been very upsetting seeing people post pictures and videos of themselves traveling around to a different city, state or country during these times. We cannot stay trapped inside our homes forever but we are living through a pandemic that is not getting any better. There is a constant rise in hospitalizations and COVID-19 cases that highly affects the L.A. County. Participating in activities such as traveling, dining out in restaurants, going to gym or attending parties does not appear appropriate right now in the current state we are living in.

People are contracting COVID-19 and the outcome is not clear as people are dying and the fortunate have healed. We have to be responsible about the health of the people we surround ourselves with. Not everyone has the privileges to live through a pandemic. My family and I have been lucky enough to still have income coming through to pay house bills and groceries. Sadly we do not have the finances to send my parents to a hotel where they can self-isolate together until they get better.

With the holidays popping up again I hope people take more precautions this time around. There will be a next birthday party, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year, but we will have friends and family who will not be with us next year. Practice social distancing as if it is your loved one who has COVID-19. The pandemic has taught me that no one is immune to the virus.

My siblings and I have been lucky so far in having tested negative. After my father’s fourth test, he finally received a negative result on Dec. 2. My mother is waiting for her test results but my family and I are optimistic that the fear of our parent’s health will disappear.

If you or know someone who has COVID-19 please follow these 10 guidelines to help you combat the symptoms.

Digital resource provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Center.

For more information about COVID-19 please read the following links:

COVID-19 Restrictions in California

Updated as of November 30, 2020

CDC: Things to Know about the COVID-19 Pandemic

L.A. County COVID-19 Testing Sites