Courtney Barker
British mom Courtney Barker is sharing the story of how her son, 7-month-old Arthur contracted COVID-19 in the hopes of preventing other families from going through what hers is. Thankfully, little Arthur is now feeling better, but last week he was rushed to the hospital.
His mama recalled the experience in a now-viral Facebook post that is attracting worldwide attention.
<p><strong></strong>On Sunday, Barker wrote the post, pleading with others to take self-isolating more seriously after hearing Arthur's story. In Barker's immediate family three people are classified as high risk, so her husband was the only one to leave the home in the last four weeks, making two essential grocery runs. </p><p>"Yet it has still managed to make its way into our house," Barker wrote on Facebook. </p><p>When Arthur came down with a fever and became unconscious and floppy his parents took action to get him medical attention right away. "We never thought it would happen to us because we were so careful," Barker tells Motherly, adding that she chose to share her story on social media because she doesn't want other families "to take even just an ounce of risk" when it comes to spreading the novel coronavirus.</p><p><strong>"So PLEASE STAY HOME!" she wrote in her widely-shared post. "If you do have to leave wear gloves and a medical mask. When you get home strip off and wash everything!" </strong></p><p><div style="text-align:center;" id="aslot-pagebreak"></div>
<div class="htl-ad" data-unit="pagebreak" data-sizes="0x0:300x250,300x50,320x240,320x50, 375x250|640x0:300x250,336x280,640x480|980x0:300x250,336x280,640x480,728x90" data-prebid="0x0:320x50_300x250|640x0:300x250_336x280|980x0:300x250_336x280_728x90"></div></p><p><em>(In North America the CDC and Health Canada have asked medical masks to be reserved for medical personnel and <a href="https://www.mother.ly/news/cdc-face-masks-covid-19" target="_blank">recommend citizens use DIY cloth masks instead</a>.)</em></p><p>Arthur's dad may have come into contact with someone who was positive for COVID-19 but asymptomatic on his grocery runs. That's the point of masks, to prevent asymptomatic people who don't know they are sick from spreading respiratory droplets. </p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="becf1029341007189a4cc900307dfc80"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/courtney.francislang/posts/3440521132645557"></div></div><p>Barker tells Motherly she's encouraging everyone to be as careful as possible and is asking other moms to consider all the activities they can do with their kids at home or in their own backyard instead of in public places like parks and playgrounds. </p><p>"I just wish people would take it more seriously before it's too late for them and they end up in our situation or even worse than us," she says. <br></p><p>Thankfully, Arthur's story has a happy ending. In an update on Facebook Barker explains: "Arthur's temperature has gone down, and he is even smiling and sitting up playing! I can't believe In just five days he went from a poorly unconscious little baby to a happy smiling baby again!"</p><p>We're so glad Arthur is doing better. <a href="https://www.mother.ly/news/how-coronavirus-affects-children-new-cdc-study" target="_blank">Most children who get COVID-19 do have less severe symptoms than adults</a>, but as Barker says it is still so important for families to listen to the recommendations of health authorities in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. </p><p><div class="htl-ad" data-unit="infeed" data-sizes="0x0:300x250,300x50,320x240,320x50|640x0:300x250,336x280,640x480|980x0:300x250,336x280,640x480,728x90" data-prebid="0x0:320x50_300x250|640x0:300x250_336x280|980x0:300x250_336x280_728x90"></div></p>
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