Phoenix Man And His Wife, Parents And Kids All Sick With COVID-19

PHOENIX, AZ — This was supposed to be a time of joy for the Aguirre family of Phoenix. Silvia and Ricardo are expecting their third child. He ought to be home taking care of her, getting things ready for the new baby.

Instead, he’s in a hospital fighting against the coronavirus.

So are Ricardo Aguirre’s parents, who are critically ill. His mom is in a room next to him and has stabilized, but his dad is on a ventilator.

His wife has COVID-19, too. Because she’s 14 weeks pregnant, doctors sent her home to battle the virus alone, rather than in a hospital where she could be more vulnerable.

The couple’s other two children also tested positive for the coronavirus. They’re living with an uncle right now. The entire family has COVID-19.

Ricardo Aguirre feels terrible. And not just physically. He feels as if he’s letting everyone down.

“This should be a time of happiness, being able to look after her, provide for her, help her out as much as I can at home, and that's not the case," Aguirre told news station KSAZ. “We're all separated right now. My kids are with my brother. My dad is on a ventilator. My mom is next door to me in critical condition, but she is stable.

“And myself, just sitting here not able to go anywhere because the minute I walk up to the bathroom, I feel shortness of breath.”

The family has been observing social distancing but had to stay at a local hotel when their air conditioner was being repaired. That’s where they think they picked up the coronavirus infection.

On Mother’s Day, Aguirre’s parents began experiencing shortness of breath, one of the symptoms of the coronavirus illness.

“I told my parents, ‘I’m going to take you guys to the hospital because you guys don’t look good,’ especially my mom,” he told KSAZ. “She was very sick and I told her, ‘Get your stuff, let’s go; I don’t wanna see you like this anymore.’ ”

Things were tough for the Aguirre family before they started getting sick. They have been unable to work amid the coronavirus crisis and will need time to recover, putting their household in more financial peril, according to what family friend Yolanda Martinez wrote on the crowdfunding campaign she created on GoFundMe.

More than $9,000 of a $10,000 goal was raised in the first three days of the campaign.

Six more people died from Sunday to Monday, bringing the Arizona statewide coronavirus death total to 233. Another 686 people tested positive for the virus over that period, bringing the number of confirmed cases in Arizona to 14,170.

Go here to contribute to the crowdfunding campaign.

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