A family traveled to attend a birthday party of a 99-year-old relative, and all get infected with covid-19.
Dozen of relatives from across the United States reunited in October for Ralph Goldsticker’s 99th birthday. “We were taking all the necessary precautions, and all of us isolated ourselves a few weeks before the party as we were very conscious. My brother and his wife from San Francisco got tested before the flight,” said Larry Goldsticker, Ralph’s son from Texas.
Unfortunately, all the attendants caught the virus, and they reached their homes infected. 13 people in total tested positive after the party, including the 99-year-old Ralph and his 3-year-old nephew.
Larry also transferred the virus to his wife, who didn’t attend the party.
He said that he’s not sure that who spread the virus. All of them came from different places, a few by car and others by plane. “We can’t tell anyone that ‘You’re the one.’ We traveled from different destinations on Friday, a few of us made a stay in a hotel room too.
In St Louis, we either stayed at our dad’s or our brother’s residence. We booked a private room at a restaurant for a birthday celebration on Saturday, ” said Larry
All the members have recovered now, including the 99-year-old Ralph. Larry said they started experiencing symptoms as soon as they reached their homes. One of the brothers from San Francisco was admitted to the hospital for an abnormally high heart rate. He lost his appetite and felt fatigued after losing a few kgs weight.
“We thought we followed the protective measures and were smart enough to save ourselves, but we were wrong. It is everywhere; you just don’t know. We were lucky that we recovered, but not everyone gets a chance. Thus, be wise, stay safe-stay healthy. Most of our family members live in North Texas, but we are not planning to reunite for thanksgiving,” Larry said
Larry shared the story so others can learn a lesson from their experience and avoid gatherings during the pandemic.