Nurse’s Toddler Gets COVID, She Says She Feels ‘Defeated’

It’s every parent’s worst fear: A healthy kid contracting COVID and having a hard time getting well again. 

Lindsay Rowan, an ICU nursing manager at Mercy Hospital, takes care of COVID-19 patients every day. When her own toddler got sick, she said she felt defeated. 

“I work really hard to keep him protected, so just a lot of feelings of defeat with that,” Rowan said. “I work really hard to keep him safe.”

Her son, Jack, is -- in a word – busy, but after getting over COVID, the hits kept coming. 

“He was out of quarantine for four days, and had another fever, and was diagnosed with hand foot and mouth,” Rowan said. “And then five days, probably after he had another fever, it was a virus, but I think covid just knocked out his little immune system because he’s never sick.”

Rowan said she sees people worse off all the time. 

“There’s no hospital beds really in Oklahoma City for adults let alone pediatrics, so we were very grateful that he did not require hospitalization,” Rowan said. 

Jack’s grandma, Cindy Rowan, gave up her own time at work to care for him. 

“I’m Lindsay’s backup, so when Jack was home with COVID, I took off a couple days to watch him,” Rowan said. “When he had hand, foot and mouth, I took off a couple days to watch him because her job is so valuable and so important right now.”

Jack still has a cough remaining from his illnesses, but he has his energy back and is feeling better.