A series of riveting, but heartbreaking posts detail vividly how quickly one’s condition can go down hill with COVID-19.
Singer and dancer Ricky Lam, 40, began posting about his journey on November 21, well before he knew about the seriousness of his condition.
“At the emergency room,” he posted on Instagram. “My breathing has suddenly gotten worse. Had a lot of symptoms till now, but don’t have my test results yet.”
A few hours later, he shared that his breathing had gotten better and his fever had gone down. He remained hopeful while he waited for chest x-rays.
His last post would come on November 24, one day before he would die.
“Breathing has become very difficult. Every few breaths I go into a coughing fit. Last night one was strong enough to make me vomit. It’s so brutal, it doesn’t allow me a chance to recover. :(.
In all, Lam shared eight updates with his followers.
Family and friends will remember the joy he brought into other people’s lives.
“Every day he was always doing something with his friends or his family — he’s very loyal. He basically brings up the room as soon as he walks in,” said his cousin Melissa Gonzales to Global News.
His family believes Lam wanted to let the world know just how serious we need to take the coronavirus.
“Woke up with chills, extreme fatigue and weakness and ” he said on November 23. “It was practically paralyzing.”
“I saw the posts every day,” said Petterson Lam, another cousin who talked with Global News. “It was hard seeing him cope and going through what he’s going through every day and not being able to be there for him. It was very hard to read.”
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