LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A mother is battling for her life after she almost lost her baby because of health complications related to COVID-19.
The night before Thanksgiving, Tyler Eastman was in urgent care for his sister who was pregnant at the time. She was struggling to breathe and felt horrible, and she was taken to Southern Hills Hospital for immediate medical attention.
“For them to tell me they don’t know if she will make it or not it was scary, it’s tough,” Eastman said.
His sister Rowena Salas was diagnosed with COVID-19. Her oxygen levels had dropped significantly, and doctors needed to act quickly. They had to deliver baby Oliver two months before his due date to see if Rowena's health would improve.
“I had to keep it together because it was me and my mom there and I know my mom didn’t think we should be in a position like this, so as the next oldest kid I had to make sure she was ok,” Eastman explained.
Rowena was placed on a ventilator and has yet to wake up from a coma. Baby Oliver was in the NICU for a week before he was able to come home to a concerned family and his older sister Mia. His family was worried they would lose another family member this year. Jaime is Rowena's husband the father of both babies Oliver and Mia, he died back in May of this year.
“I didn’t expect Jaime to pass away this early, especially with my sister being in the hospital the same year its tough,” said Eastman. “The holidays are something I didn’t think about, especially celebrating like this, because celebrating is not even a word I want to use.”
Children that are now without a mother or a father. Eastman and his family have stepped in to help take care of baby Oliver. He says Southern Hills Hospital created a baby registry and the amount of support from the community has been overwhelming.
“Even the day it went up there was so much, so many people donating and so much support going out to us which we really appreciate,” Eastman said.
Eastman and his brother, along with the help of his mom and aunts are having to take on the role of parents. With the ongoing spread of this virus, he is asking everyone to take this seriously.
“I would suggest getting vaccinated so that way nobody else goes through this because this is something nobody ever wants to go through.”
A GoFundMe page has been created to help the family.
This story has been corrected to reflect the names of the family members involved as Tyler Eastman and Rowena Salas.
