Brothers say parents with COVID-19 out of ICU: 'Not in the clear' but 'moving in the right direction'
Five members of the Weinhauses fell ill after the matriarch got a cough.
A close-knit family in Missouri, who had five members test positive for coronavirus, are sharing good news about their matriarch who was the first of the family to show symptoms from the disease and was later hospitalized in the intensive care unit.
Jason and Ryan Weinhaus of Chesterfield, Missouri, told ABC News Friday that their mother, Jane Weinhaus, and their father, Mike Weinhaus, who was also hospitalized after testing positive for coronavirus, had both been removed from the ICU. And Mike and Jane, together for 41 years, but separated the past two weeks in the hospital, are together again -- in a private room, able to reach over and each other’s hand.
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Jason Weinhaus said that two days ago, they'd even been able to FaceTime Jane Weinhaus for the first time in over two weeks.
"Seeing her made things awesome, but it also made us emotional and made us understand that this is not over at all. Even though she's off of oxygen, she's got a long way to go to get back," he said.
"They're in a standard room now and really on the up and up," Ryan Weinhaus said. "Every day, we're getting a little bit closer -- while not in the clear -- we're moving in the right direction."
The brothers, who spoke to ABC News Friday, said they were both still in isolation in their separate homes after not only they, but also Ryan Weinhaus' wife, Brittanie, were diagnosed with pneumonia and tested positive for coronavirus.
Jason Weinhaus said he'd been staying in the basement of the home he shared with his wife and two children for the last 14 days. He said that none of his family members had shown symptoms.
"One thing that's been easy to cope with is I've been able to talk with Ryan and Brittanie and we've been able to go through the symptoms together and progress together and all of us fully recover. It has been a little harder with my parents to watch them because it's taken so much longer however every day seems to be a little bit better than the day before. ... We'll take that for now. ... That's all we can ask for at this point," he said.
The two brothers said that their mother, Jane, had been the first in the family to show symptoms of the virus. She'd suffered what they called "a standard cough" and then the rest of the family had followed with Jason Weinhaus, Ryan Weinhaus, their father, Mike Weinhaus, and then Ryan Weinhaus' wife, Brittanie, falling ill.
The symptoms they described to ABC News ranged from body aches, headache, chills, shortness of breath and a low-grade fever. Ryan Weinhaus said he had not developed a cough. The brothers said that in the last few days, they had "fully recovered" and were not showing symptoms.
On March 15, seven days after initially showing symptoms, Jane Weinhaus was hooked up to a ventilator. She was on it for about eight days, they said.
"She's going through the process of just trying to figure out what's going on," Jason Weinhaus said. "She's got a long way to go in terms of physical therapy and just learning how to eat again and talk and walk."
The Weinhaus brothers said their father, Mike, had been admitted March 20. The brothers said their parents were currently being treated in the same room together.
"That has been a lot of fun. ... We've been able to FaceTime with them and see them together," Ryan Weinhaus said. "They've been holding hands. It's been really nice for us to see."
The two said the prayers and support they received from their community and family as well as the doctors and nurses caring for their parents had been a "game-changer" for them, with even the nurses facilitating FaceTime so the family could communicate with their parents.
Jason Weinhaus said the family delivered dinner to the hospital staff on Thursday.
"They've been so amazing and watching what they've been able to do and the care they've provided for our parents, it's been awesome," Ryan Weinhaus said. "They're making that sacrifice obviously, every single day too. ... Once this is all said and done, I can't wait to go meet all of them in person and truly just give every one of them a big hug."
What to know about Coronavirus:
- How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained
- What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms
- Tracking the spread in the US and Worldwide: Coronavirus map
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