Mom Describes Son's Coronavirus Scare: 'Hold My Hand, I'm Dying'

JAMESPORT, NY — It was a parent's worst nightmare: Emilie and Ed Powers of Jamesport found themselves battling the coronavirus — and then their son, Matthew, 17, a senior and well-loved football player at Riverhead High School, also became desperately ill.

"This virus is a beast like no other, and I never realized it until it hit home," Emilie told Patch.

Over the past week, she, her husband and son "were hit so hard with COVID," she said. "We never expected it to be this bad."

Just days ago, their son became sick, she said. But because Emilie and Ed were sick themselves, they couldn't be with their son as he was brought to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead and then Cohen Children's Medical Center in Queens.

Emilie, who shares a deep faith with her family, appealed to friends on social media, asking them to pray after he was taken away in an ambulance and she could not follow.

“Please God, take care of my baby. He’s in your hands, and the doctors' hands, now. The last thing he said to me was, 'Mom, hold my hand. I’m dying.' I kissed him, prayed with him, told him we all love him, and told him he’s in good hands. God is with him holding his hand now as we can’t be.”

Emilie described that emotional day.

"My heart was torn out of my chest when they drove away with my son," she told Patch.

She added: "We were out of our minds with worry, as we couldn't help him." Thankfully, she said, one of her other sons — the couple have eight boys — and her daughter-in-law stepped in. Her daughter-in-law visited Matthew at Peconic Bay Medical Center, Emilie said, but at Cohen Children's Medical Center, "He was all alone."

When Matthew was taken to Cohen Children's Medical Center, Emilie said, "I knew he was even worse than we thought."

Matthew was first brought to Peconic Bay Medical Center by ambulance because he couldn’t fight the virus any longer at home, Emilie said.

"They were able to stabilize him and make him comfortable," she said. Her son, she said, had COVID-19, pneumonia, a fever and a tear in his esophagus from vomiting, which caused air to get into his system and then massive pain. In addition, Emilie said, Matthew's blood sugar level was reportedly so high the meter couldn’t read it, likely over 800 mg. — a normal blood sugar level is less than 140 mg.

Matthew, she said, had never had diabetes. He was so sick that his eyes rolled back in his head, she said. "They gave him morphine for the pain and were able to stabilize him," she said.

After a few hours, Matthew was transported to Cohen Children's Medical Center. "They had a team of doctors waiting for him as he arrived to see what needed to be done first," Emilie said. He was put immediately into the intensive care unit, she said.

Her son was all alone as she and Ed were home in bed fighting COVID-19; three of her other sons also had coronavirus at the same time, but with less-severe symptoms. The couple relied on their faith to face the unthinkable.

"He’s in pretty bad shape but with all of your prayers and our Heavenly Father holding his hand he will get through this," Emilie wrote on social media when Matthew was hospitalized.

He was weak, his voice barely a whisper when he spoke with his mother. Her son was also not happy about having to spend Super Bowl Sunday in the ICU, his mother said.

After four days in ICU, Matthew was back home, recovering and doing much better, Emilie said.

"We will continue to pray for Matt, as he still has COVID and all the side effects it caused," Emilie said. "He still has a long road ahead of him."

Her son now has diabetes, Emilie said; doctors told her that COVID-19 is attacking a dormant gene in the pancreas in some children.

But despite the challenges, the Powers family is grateful to have their son back home — and for the support of a community that rallied by their sides, organizing a meal train and sending words of encouragement.

"Ed and I are truly blessed to have so many that care, God has richly blessed us with a beautiful family, amazing friends, and such caring new friends who have prayed so hard alongside us," she said.

Beyond family and friends, even strangers reached out, she said, with offers of help, deliveries of bagels, healthy drinks, desserts, soup and other meals brought right to their door.

"We are overwhelmed by the love, support, and prayers," Emilie said. "Not only in our hometown but all across the country."