Turlock mother, baby survive COVID-19. But her family still lives with threat of virus
The coronavirus outbreak has turned life upside-down for a family in Turlock and threatens the same for other Stanislaus County residents as cases spike during the reopening phase.
Jessenia Lizarraga, who was diagnosed April 3, was in a medically induced coma after her premature baby was delivered by emergency c-section in San Francisco in a procedure that likely saved the child’s life.
Jessenia brought her son home three weeks ago and tries to keep him free of infection in a house where two daughters previously tested positive. The mother herself tries to work through what she hopes are temporary disabilities.
Her 8-year-old daughter has been isolated in her room since March. Even though she is asymptomatic, the girl has tested positive every two weeks.
The story of Jessenia’s life-and-death struggle with coronavirus and the impact on the family is cautionary as the county and California reopen and face perhaps two or three years of COVID-19 outbreaks.
“It is the hardest thing we have ever gone through together,” said Sergio Farias, Jessenia’s boyfriend, who came close to losing the love of his life.
While the risk of death or serious illness increases with age, Jessenia, 34, has asthma that made her vulnerable to the respiratory illness. The same is true of other younger adults in a county with elevated rates of diabetes, obesity and other chronic health problems, which makes them susceptible to COVID-19.
Some 18 percent of county residents who have tested positive, or 193 people, are in the 31- to 40-year-old age range. About half the county’s 1,090 cases have affected residents in the 21- to 50-year-old age range, while children and older teens represent 12 percent of cases.
The county’s 34 reported deaths have typically occurred among older residents and nursing home patients.
Jessenia, a medical assistant, said she was exposed to coronavirus at her workplace in March when concerns about coronavirus were new.
She went on leave March 27 and the symptoms began three days later leading to a fever and severe chest pain. Jessenia thought she might have pneumonia and went to Emanuel Medical Center, but a chest x-ray convinced doctors she had the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Nurses and doctors at Emanuel soon found they couldn’t help Jessenia, who was struggling to breathe and was seven months pregnant, further complicating matters. She was transferred to UCSF Medical Center.
After arriving at the San Francisco center, her oxygen saturation was at 80 percent, well below normal readings in the high 90s, she said.
“It was just so hard to breathe,” Jessenia said. “I could not catch my breath. I was maxed out on oxygen (through the nose and mouth). I felt like a fish out of water.”
The Turlock woman was in respiratory distress, passed out, and CPR was performed to restore her vitals. One attempt to intubate her failed. Doctors soon asked the parents for consent to deliver the baby 11 weeks premature, as the best chance of saving the mother and unborn child.
The emergency c-section April 5 was done in a pressurized room to minimize the chance of exposure to the infant. Relieved of the burden of physically supporting the unborn baby, Jessenia was given better odds of fighting the viral infection.
“At that point we had no choice because we were not going to make it,” Jessenia said. “It was the best choice for me and the baby.”
The baby was placed in a neonatal intensive care unit at another hospital. Jessenia was heavily sedated and placed on an artificial respirator that delivered oxygen straight to her inflamed lungs. Coronavirus is notorious for a fierce attack on the human lungs.
Jessenia was given doses of antibiotics and nine different medications, she estimated.
Because of tight restrictions on visitation, Jessenia was on her own for a week and a half. Farias was at home watching their three daughters and anxiously awaiting medical updates from UCSF doctors by phone.
He made three or four calls daily to the other San Francisco hospital to ask about his son’s health.
Zoom conferences help the family give encouragement
Nurses set up Zoom visits in Jessenia’s room for her parents, siblings and her boyfriend. “I know she could not hear me but I tried talking to her,” Farias said. “I told her she needed to be strong. Her son was ready for her. She needed to come home. The girls needed her.”
Jessenia said the fevers would not come down and there were few positive signs for days. Her waking hours had been filled with doubts she would not make it.
“I was tired of fighting and fighting,” she said. “My body did not respond to treatment. And then all of a sudden it responded to the oxygen and the treatment.”
Jessenia woke up April 16 to the sounds of hospital monitors. A nurse soon came into the room and said “You were really sick, did you know that?” The nurse gently explained what had happened in the past week or more. She gave the mother reassurance her son had been born and was fine.
The Turlock woman said she remembers talking with doctors about the c-section. Though she was heavily sedated, she said she twice heard muffled voices of her parents and other family members on video and tried to wake up.
Rather than spend a few more weeks at UCSF, her physician at Family First Medical Care in Modesto recommended that Jessenia return home for family support. Her newborn son, who tested negative, could receive the care needed by preemies at the intensive care nursery at Doctors Medical Center.
The child weighed 3 pounds, 11 ounces at birth.
“Her husband told us she was suffering from depression, mainly because she was unable to bond with her baby due to this life-threatening event,” Dr. Silvia Diego of Family First explained. “This way they could be closer as a family unit and heal together.”
The baby, named Sergio, was isolated from other babies and was under tight restrictions in the nursery at Doctors in Modesto.
The only way Jessenia was going to see her baby was by testing negative back to back over a 48-hour period. She waited for a month for the tests to come back negative.
It was Mother’s Day, more than a month after the birth, when she was finally able to see and hold her newborn for the first time. Mother and child will share a bond forged in the coronavirus pandemic of 2020.
“It was very emotional,” Jessenia said. “I was happy that we made it. I was thankful for anyone who had any part in our care.”
The boy was taken home May 21 and has gained weight to 8 pounds and 6 ounces. Jessenia and the baby both require a great deal of followup care and family members are not liberated from the stress of coronavirus, which is highly contagious among members of a household.
Recovery time for COVID-19 patients explored
Jessenia lost movement from her neck down while in the coma and her voice was affected by intubation. Since returning home, she has gone from a wheelchair to a walker and now uses a cane.
Physical and occupational therapists come to the home to assist her rehabilitation. They first stand outside the home putting on gowns, gloves, goggles, face shields, and hair and shoe coverings before going through the door.
Jessenia said she has anxiety and post-traumatic stress from her life-threatening struggles in the hospital.
“The amount of psychological and emotional stress on her was almost unbearable and continues to play a huge part in her recovery,” Diego said in an email. “We are just learning that recovery time for these patients could be weeks to months out. We just don’t know enough about covid.”
Diego cited experts featured in the Washington Post who found that recovery time for some patients could last for years.
The baby, Sergio, graduated from the NICU with two hernias and is scheduled for surgery in July.
The Turlock family continues to live with the threat of coronavirus inside their home. The parents wipe down door handles, counters, toilets and other surfaces. Their daughter, Ivonne, is trained in extra hygiene and if, she ever leaves her room, is supposed to wear a mask.
The health crisis has caused the parents to miss work and created a financial strain for the family.
A test result is pending for Ivonne and a positive would mean another 14-day wait.
An oldest daughter tested positive April 23 followed by a negative test after 14 days. A 12-year-old daughter and Farias have tested negative.
Farias has returned to work delivering appliances for an essential business. Installing the appliances inside homes is nerve-racking because customers don’t always say if they’ve had coronavirus, he said.
Jessenia said people should be aware COVID-19 is a real threat. The best strategy is not catching it.
“I almost lost my life,” she said. “If you believe it is not (dangerous) it has not hit close to home.”
This story was originally published June 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
