The Minneapolis family vows to survive and raise awareness of Covid-19

When Charles and Kirstin Johnson-Nixon vowed their lives together, for better or for worse, the Minneapolis couple didn’t expect the coronavirus to write the most painful chapter of their shared life.

Kirstin, a social worker who helps advise teenage parents in high school, says she and her husband tested positive for the coronavirus in early May.

Shortly thereafter, his eldest son, Caleb, lost his sense of smell and tested positive. Later, Rafael, one of the couple’s 14-year-old twins, collapsed with a fever and a mild headache. He was also positive on the test.

Kirstin says she and her husband did not need hospitalization, but fatigue, coughing, and body aches were barely tolerable.

“I’m here, I’m a black woman. I’m overweight and have some fundamental problems, but” Why is this happening? We’re all doing the right thing. ” Kirstin told CNN. “I’ve had pneumonia before. I didn’t feel it in Covid.”

Kirstin’s mother, Alberta Johnson, also tested positive after being found unresponsive at her home in Minneapolis in early May.

And while Kirstin and Charles were recovering at home in late May, they received a call that they never wanted to happen.

Kirstin’s father, William Johnson, who tested positive for the coronavirus in May, was on ventilator.

“He went in and out on May 4, and was using fast oxygen for 15 days. Twelve days later, he was put on a ventilator,” Kirstin said. “I stopped talking to my doctor. Every time I talked to her, she said, according to the data, an 86-year-old person using a ventilator usually died from a ventilator. I said there is. “

The change in William Johnson’s condition plagued his grandson, especially 17-year-old Caleb.

“My grandpa had been in the hospital for 50 days, but there was a particular point where he wasn’t talking to anyone,” Caleb said.

Caleb and his family had good reason to worry.

According to the report, blacks in the United States die more than twice as often as whites. COVID tracking project..

The same data show that Native Americans and Latin Americans also die at a much higher rate than Whites and Asian Americans.

I am full of gratitude

Charles Johnson-Nixon is the Vice-Principal of the South Washington County School on the outskirts of Minneapolis. He and his wife spent 14 days in isolation. He says his fever will break from time to time, but the temperature of 101 will continue and will “knock him down”.

For some time he was afraid that the virus would deprive him of the opportunity to see his children grow up.

“That was my greatest horror. I lost my dad when I was young, and one of my goals was to make sure I was here for my kids,” Charles said. Told CNN. “The idea that this (virus) could keep me away from them was the hardest thing to deal with. God kept me here for my boys, in the meantime. I prayed more than ever, but I still do. “

During this Thanksgiving season, the Johnson-Nixon family is full of gratitude — they say they have been given a gift of life.

A visit to a doctor for a follow-up visit earlier this month revealed that Kirstin had microscopic thrombotic symptoms in his lungs, causing congestion. Despite the prolonged side effects, Kirstin says he has tested negatives many times since the initial positive diagnosis of the pandemic.

Six months have passed since the three mothers wrapped their arms around their 86-year-old father. William Johnson spent 50 days in the hospital, 12 days on ventilator, and 30 days in rehab. He is now recovering at home, but still needs oxygen and care.

“It’s hard not to hug or kiss him,” she said. “I am very grateful that my parents are alive.”

There is still work left

Charles and Kirstin say their work isn’t over. They spoke on the panel and shared their story to educate the virus-stricken community. During the summer, the family appeared in a virtual panel hosted by the African American Leadership Forum.

The panel, “Are We Good? COVID-19 & Black MN Virtual Town Hall,” was part of a biweekly conversation about Covid-19’s health, economic, and educational implications for the African-American community in Minnesota. ..

And in early November, Charles shared information with members of the Alpha Phi Alpha brothers at North Carolina Central University during a video call.

He discussed the need to ensure that black families took the right precautions and understood the seriousness of the pandemic.

Charles and Kirstin say they are working together to raise awareness and advocate for testing.

“It’s a country you’ll want to say, with a mission to make you scream and make people aware,” Charles said. “2021 gives everyone the opportunity to rethink the way things are done and change the way things are done when needed. 2020 is coming to an end, thank God!”