Deaf mom describes coda son’s battle against Covid-19
Alex (The Daily Moth):
A Deaf mother from Arlington, Texas, Amanda Castro, has posted on Facebook several videos describing her 21-year-old coda son’s struggle with coronavirus.
Amanda Castro:
I’m Amanda Castro. I’m from Texas.
Alex (The Daily Moth):
The son’s name is Juvencio or Juve for short and he is currently in an ICU room and hooked up to several machines.
Castro told “The Daily Moth” that Juve contracted the disease after visiting a friend/family gathering in Tennessee for Christmas. Someone within the group became infected with the coronavirus and it quickly spread to everyone. All were able to recover except for Juve, who found himself increasingly fatigued.
Amanda Castro:
He was on a bed and tried to grab a drink, but couldn’t move. My daughter decided they had to buy a pulse oximeter to check, and he had very low oxygen levels and we had to send him to the emergency room.
Alex (The Daily Moth):
His level was at 70%, far lower than the 95% normal rate. He was taken to a hospital where he stayed for about two weeks with oxygen masks. However, his health continued to deteriorate to the point where he had to be transferred to a different medical center and was placed on a medically induced coma, an ECMO blood machine, and a ventilator. His heart stopped for five minutes.
Amanda Castro:
Then when the ambulance was finally on the way, an ambulance worker, I guess, texted me and told me that my son’s heart stopped for five minutes. I was shocked. I didn’t know how to feel. I was very numb and shocked. What? From coronavirus? That’s serious.
Alex (The Daily Moth):
Castro flew to Tennessee to visit him and managed to be able to be in the same room with her son. She said her son was able to sign a bit.
Amanda Castro:
I told the nurse he was trying to sign, and I said he said he’s cold. The doctor asked what was wrong and I said he said he was cold. They didn’t know that. I feel heartbroken for those who are hearing and don’t know sign and can’t speak because of the tube down their throat. How can they respond or communicate? Wow. He signs “I love you”. He says “I love you”.
Alex (The Daily Moth):
She raised an idea that we may have never thought of -- that ASL has an amazing benefit for those who are intubated, because they can communicate.
[Image of Juve’s hand signing ILY]
[Sponsored Video from Convo: https://www.convorelay.com/download]
Alex (The Daily Moth):
Castro has a following online because she sells jewelry online. She has provided updates on her Facebook page and has received an outpouring of support and prayers. However she struggles with what may happen in the future.
Amanda Castro:
It’s hard because sometimes I feel like it’s God’s plan a little bit. I don’t want his plan to take my son away. I don’t want that.
Alex (The Daily Moth):
Castro said it is doctors’ plan to gradually reduce Juve’s dependence on the machines and allow his body to fight back and recover. She said doctors warned that it is very unpredictable and she shouldn’t have high expectations. At the time we talked last night, Juve was coughing up fluid from his lungs, which shows he is fighting back the disease.
Amanda Castro:
Covid-19 is really nasty. It’s serious. Awful. There’s a tube of blood in his neck and down his leg. Very uncomfortable to have a tube down his throat. He’s stuck with that. He can’t spit out any lipid because of the tube down his throat. There are two tubes and everything comes out through that tube. It’s completely black. I asked what the normal color would be and they said yellow. If it’s a yellow color, that’s normal. They said it’s because of the blood inside. Coronavirus is really painful.
Alex (The Daily Moth):
I asked Castro to share additional thoughts about the disease.
Amanda Castro:
Take Covid-19 seriously. Wear your mask not only for yourself but for others, too. Avoid exposure. Others might have a weak immune system, but really, he had no immune problems or any health issues. So, it doesn’t matter if a person’s immune system is weak or not. Wear your mask, period.
Alex (The Daily Moth):
Castro said a GoFundMe is being set up to support them. I will add a link when it is ready. Thank you for your time and willingness to be so open about your experiences. We hope your son will pull through and recover day by day.
To provide the family support, you can donate to: https://donorbox.org/castro