'Go run to her buddy!': Nurse on ventilator from COVID finally sees son after 84 days
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - After spending 84 days in the hospital fighting COVID-19, a Florida mother is getting the medicine she needs: a hug from her son.
Kristin Kay tested positive for the coronavirus in December and she has been in the hospital ever since fighting to survive.
Her husband, Steven, was able to take a break from being by his wife’s side in the hospital to share what it was like for their son Parker to see and touch his Mommy for the first time in three months.
"You see Mommy?" Steven asked his son Parker. "Yeah," Parker said. "You wanna go?" Steven asked. "Yeah," Parker said. "Go run to her buddy!" Steven said.
Parker ran.
It has been 84 days since Parker last saw his Mommy.
"Momma!" Parker said
Wasting no time, Daddy lifted him up to give mommy a kiss.
"He saw his mom he didn’t see the tubes," Steven said.
While still on a ventilator, Kristin’s team of doctors and nurses wheeled her out of the North Florida Regional Medical Center.
"Kristin was blowing kisses to Parker that was probably the most amazing moment for me because you could see her expressions when the mask came off," he said.
With just 20 minutes together, five-year-old Parker painted a picture and showed off his puppet.
Before COVID-19 she was healthy with no underlying medical conditions. As a 31-year-old nurse practitioner, Kristin was just one week away from being vaccinated. Since being admitted, she has undergone several procedures and experienced multiple organ failures.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think my poor wife would have to go through what she’s been through," her husband said.
Due to the pandemic, she has been separated from her family and little boy.
"She’s crying bud, she misses you so much," Steven Kay said. "Tell Mommy how much you miss her."
"I love you, Parker Kay said.
Parker gave Mommy one last kiss on the hand before having to go. Kristin is continuing to fight for her life.
Steven said she is improving. He said she could be discharged from the hospital to go to a rehab facility as early as next week. The family has set up a Go Fund Me page to assist with medical expenses.
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