Eight-year-old Jack Nelson has cystic fibrosis. He’s in the CDC’s high risk category for COVID-19.
If Jack got coronavirus, "he would die," says his mother, Tasha Nelson.
Tasha and the rest of Jack's family have gone to extreme measures to ensure Jack's safety, including disinfecting everything that goes in and out of the house and wearing protective gear while outdoors.
But when Tasha went to the store to run some errands on Thursday, she says she was publicly shamed for wearing a medical mask and latex gloves.
“People laughed at me, I had people make comments like, ‘she’s the reason why my life is being disrupted,'" Tasha said.
“I’m trying to make sure it doesn’t get into our house. Because if it does, I will be burying my son and I will do anything to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Tasha said.
Tasha realizes most people won’t get it, but she never expected to be publicly shamed for taking precautions.
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She says it broke her heart but opened her eyes that other people don’t understand how serious the coronavirus is for high risk families.
"Even if Jack doesn’t get it, if I get it, I have to be separated from him, my family has to be separated, I can’t be near him and provide him the care that he needs every day,” Tasha explains.
“This is not a typical situation. We can’t all only look out for ourselves. We have to look out for each other.”
Jack’s mom Tasha and the rest of his family have been self-quarantined for more than a week in their home in Manassas, Virginia, so they don’t unknowingly bring the virus into their home.
Until the threat of the coronavirus outbreak has subsided, the curious eight-year-old Jack will have to remain indoors.
