Reports Show NJ Nurse, 6 Family Members' Struggle With COVID-19

ELMWOOD PARK, NJ — Sofia Burke is what many have called a front-line hero throughout the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. An Elmwood Park native and New Jersey nurse, Burke is now a coronavirus patient, according to media reports.

From a hospital bed at Hackensack University Medical Center, Burke spoke to CNN's Don Lemon through an oxygen mask after her family's story was shared through a recent Northjersey.com report.

Watch Burke on CNN here:

As Lemon introduces Burke, sounds of her aided breathing are the first you hear from the hospitalized nurse. "It's awful what's happening to you and your family," the host said.

Awful is probably an understatement.

Burke, a nurse at a North Haledon nursing home, followed strict safety protocols at home, as did her family. However, after her mother generously gave a car ride to an elderly friend, the coronavirus found its way into the home, according to a GoFundMe page set up for the family.

All eight members of the Burke household became sick by Thanksgiving, including Burke's father Otto, 93, who died from the coronavirus earlier this month, and 2-year-old daughter.

Burke, herself, was admitted prior to Thanksgiving, diagnosed with pneumonia caused by COVID-19, according to Northjersey.com. She spent the holiday alone in a Hackensack hospital room.

"Right now I feel like everything has been swept from under my feet," she told Lemon on CNN. "I'm fighting to breathe every day." Burke's brother, husband and three children are recovering from the coronavirus, as his her mother, who still needs supplemental oxygen, according to Northjersey.com.

A GoFundMe campaign has been established to raise funds for a funeral for Burke's father, and the CNN segment drew an outpouring of support across social media.

A video tribute was posted to the fundraiser page: