Luis Perez said it all happened quickly.

“Three weeks ago I got really sick. The virus was just starting to get going, and I got really sick,” he said. “The day after I got sick, my mother got very sick.”

Shortly after that, his dad developed symptoms, too. COVID-19 had just started showing up in Monroe County. Perez says he works for Google and travels all over the state for his job.

“Knowing what I do for my job and how much time I spend with my parents, the thought that I gave it to them really weighs heavily on me,” said Perez.

It was still early in the crisis, and Perez says they were unable to tested. His mom took a turn for the worse.

“She went to the hospital because she couldn’t breathe,” said Perez. “A day and a half after, she was put in on a ventilator.”

His dad was also eventually hospitalized. Both of his parents were able to get tested and both results came back positive. His dad recovered and was released after a few days.

“When I picked my father up, they were very specific,” said Perez. “We both had to wear masks. He sat in the backseat with the windows down.”

Then last week, Perez says his symptoms intensified. He too went to Rochester General Hospital.

“They tested me and told that while I did not have it at the time, I clearly had it,” said Perez. “They could tell I had it. Because of that, it caused a blood clot in my lungs.”

Perez spent five days at the hospital and was released Tuesday morning. He is now recovering at home. He says his mom is off the ventilator and slowly getting better at the hospital.

Perez hopes his family’s story can be a reminder of why social distancing is so important.

“The message is you don’t know,” he said. “It takes 14 days to show up. So you don’t know who you are giving it to or how you may get it.”

— WHAM 13