COLORADO SPRINGS — Staying home, wearing masks, and cleaning constantly may feel excessive to some people, but for others, it's a matter of life or death. News5 spoke with two different people more at risk of complications from catching coronavirus, who reminded us all why we're staying home to stop the spread.
One is a local mom named Shay Bryan, who's 17-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia in November. Bryan said they go to Children's Hospital three to five days a week for his chemotherapy treatment. "If he were to get something like COVID-19, it could be the end for him... It would just be nice if people would understand that there are people like him that wouldn't survive," said Bryan.
Bryan hopes everyone thinks of her son, and people like him, before they leave their home. "It's sad to think that people just don't care enough about other people, and they don't think that it could happen to them," said Bryan.
Meanwhile, Veronica Landry said she worked as a contractor in Iraq in the early 2000's. Landry said while there, she developed a deployment related lung disease from toxin exposure. She said it is a progressive disease, and will one day be terminal. Landry said she does a lot to stay healthy, by exercising and eating well, and is doing everything she can to fight the disease. "People may look healthy. For a lot of people, they may look at me and think I'm very healthy, but there are a lot of invisible illnesses out there... Just because you don't think you're high risk, doesn't mean you're not," said Landry.
Both Landry and Bryan hope people remember they are helping save lives by staying home. They also said they are taking several precautions in their own homes to prevent the spread and avoid contracting the virus. Bryan is checking her son's temperature regularly, while Landry tries not to even enter grocery stores, opting for curbside options or having friends help her get them.
