Arizona mother and newborn battle, beat COVID-19 together

July 18, 2020 steven

Baby beats COVID-19 during her first few months on Earth

for Elizabeth Jeckels, life hasn’t been easy since she was born.

PHOENIX – While there is an increase of young adults testing positive for COVID-19, a story that’s not often heard is that of children battling the disease.

3-month-old battled COVID-19, and won

For 3-month-old Elizabeth Jeckel, COVID-19 was the first illness she ever had, but she was able to fight it.

The past few months were tough for Elizabeth’s mother, Roxanne Jeckel. Not only did she give birth in the middle of a global pandemic, but a couple of months later, she and Elizabeth both contracted COVID-19.

It’s a parent’s worst fear coming true.

“I had the thought that there was the possibility that she wouldn’t make it through,” said Roxanne.

Elizabeth showed mild symptoms, so she didn’t have to go to the hospital. However, doctors were keeping track everyday.

“I barely slept, and it was constantly checking her every moment to make sure she’s breathing,” said Roxanne.

Roxanne and Elizabeth remained on one side of the house, while her husband, Stephen, and Roxanne’s three other kids were in quarantine on the other side.

“I just kept telling myself, like, this is going to be OK,” said Roxanne. “We’re strong, we are going to get through it and also the love of my husband and other kids and my family, just knowing that I love them so much and I’m going to do everything that I can to fight this.”

The family relied on texting and video calls for two weeks, and with Elizabeth being so young, the rest of the family was missing out on some of the little milestones.

“I’m like, she’s doing this, she is doing that,” said Roxanne. “She’s trying to roll over, so I was trying to be there for him as much because he was going through a rough time too.”

“For me, being a father to this beautiful little girl, it’s like all I wanted to do was hold my little girl,” said Stephen.

Stephen was able to do that on July 13, after Roxanne and Elizabeth were cleared to reunite with the rest of the family.

“There is no way that you can go through life and not appreciate your life a little bit more deeper than what you did before,” said Stephen.

The Jeckels say they are just excited to go back to normal life in the house, and spend quality time together.

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COVID-19 symptoms

Symptoms for coronavirus COVID-19 include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. These, of course, are similar to the common cold and flu.

Expect a common cold to start out with a sore or scratchy throat, cough, runny and/or stuffy nose. Flu symptoms are more intense and usually come on suddenly, and can include a high fever.

Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear more slowly. They usually include fever, a dry cough and noticeable shortness of breath, according to the World Health Organization. A minority of cases develop pneumonia, and the disease is especially worrisome for the elderly and those with other medical problems such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes or heart conditions.