An El Paso family gathering turns into a nightmare after 7 contract virus

EL PASO, Texas -- One group of El Paso family members surprised another family trying to comfort an elderly man with heart disease.

But a caring and affectionate visit turned into a family nightmare.

All  seven family members gathered inside one home.

"They sat. They talked. They joked. They reminisced, which is what families do. They were indoors, and they did not wear masks," said Irma who does not want her last name used because of the stigma she claims is associated with Covid-19.

They also did not practice any social distancing since some of the elderly members have some difficulty hearing.

"At the end, like a lot of families do, they hugged, they kissed. That was how they parted that day."

After that gathering, one of the family members felt ill. He was rushed to the hospital where he tested positive for Covid-19.

At the time, none of the other family members was feeling sick.

That quickly changed, as one by one, they all complained of flu-like symptoms, fever, chills, and headaches.
All seven tested positive for Covid-19.

"The symptoms for the family were very, very hard to hear about. They were mild. Some were medium type symptoms. And then there were three members, older ones really struggling," Irma said.

Four weeks after that family gathering, two family members remain hospitalized. Those two family members are 80 years old.

Five family members have since recovered.

Now they worry about the after-effects.

Some say they still feel sluggish.

But they continue praying for the two still hospitalized, hoping they will recover.

Now this family is using their story as a cautionary tale -- warning people against large gatherings on Thanksgiving.

"The sad thing is that all families want to get together for Thanksgiving,” Irma said. “But I maintain that loving and caring families should not.”

Irma says every one of the seven family members feel guilty believing they were the one infecting the other six family members.