Sick toddler’s parents oppose ‘dominant narrative’ that COVID-19 isn’t a worry for kids

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    Tulsa, OK (Tulsa World) — The mother of a 20-month-old Tulsa child who was recently rushed to the hospital with symptoms attributed to COVID-19 says she hopes her family’s experience can serve to educate the public.

“The virus does not discriminate,” said Sally Ramirez, adding that she was initially “confused” when her son, Ben, otherwise perfectly healthy, tested positive for the virus last week.

“We hadn’t heard much about children being affected,” she said.

After a few hours at Hillcrest Medical Center, Ben is now back home, under quarantine and doing better, Ramirez said.

But the experience is still fresh on the minds of the toddler’s parents — Ramirez and her partner, David Waldron — and they decided they needed to speak up.

“The dominant narrative has been that this virus is for the older, not the young,” Ramirez said. “We’re hoping our experience changes minds and persuades more people to take action.”

The family’s scare began a week ago at home.

Just before Ben’s bedtime on the evening of July 7, his parents noticed that he seemed lethargic.

“We thought he was just very tired because he only had a 30-minute nap that day,” Ramirez said.

But an hour later, when Ben woke up crying and throwing up blood and milk, they knew something was wrong.

They rushed him to nearby Hillcrest, where his temperature was recorded at 103.3.

Alarmed by his symptoms and “feeling numb,” Ramirez never considered the coronavirus, she said, as she looked online to try to determine what might be wrong.

So the next day, the news about the positive test surprised her.

Thankfully, everything seems to be working out all right. Ben, who had no underlying health issues going in, is currently experiencing a cough and a mild fever, which is being controlled with Tylenol, she said.

But his parents have another big worry: other family members who could potentially have been exposed.

David Waldron has not been tested yet but believes he is showing possible symptoms. And one of his brothers has since tested positive.

Of special concern, the couple said, is Waldron’s mother, who is elderly and has health issues. She has not yet been able to be tested.

Ramirez, meanwhile, was tested. It came back negative. But as Ben’s mother, she will continue to be exposed, she said.

The couple said they support wholeheartedly Tulsa’s recently signed mask ordinance.

“The one simple thing you can do is wear a mask,” Ramirez said.

“We hope that by sharing our story we can convince more people to do so.”

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