Mother who lost baby to virus shares warning to other parents

SAN DIEGO — A grieving mother is sharing her warning for other parents after her baby died from respiratory syncytial virus.

Former San Diego resident Jessica Myers says she was just celebrating the birth of her baby two months ago. But now, she is mourning his death.

“It feels like a bad dream,” Myers said. “Like I’m going to get to wake up and I’m going to get to go see him and I’m going to get to hold him and that’s just not the reality.”

Myers’ reality is much darker after losing her six-week-old baby to RSV.

“It is the most painful thing I’ve ever gone through. No parent should have to lose their child,” Myers said.

She says on Nov. 10 she noticed her son William struggling with congestion. By the time she went to the hospital, it took several hours before he could get an RSV test.

“The problem is, is that right now so many children are sick,” Myers said. “The emergency rooms are really overcrowded.”

By the third day, she says William had to be intubated. She says doctors tried to save him but William didn’t make it. 

Now, she is sharing her warning to protect other children. She says RSV is transferred via surfaces and warns parents not to touch their baby’s face.

“Do not let anyone else touch your baby’s face or kiss your baby’s face or their hands. If they have an eye boogie, go get a wash cloth. If they have spit up, go get a burp rag. Do everything you can to avoid touching their face,” Myers said.

She also warns if your baby is coughing, rush them to the emergency room and ask for an RSV test immediately.

“Don’t wait,” Myers said. “Don’t hesitate. Just go!”

She wishes she demanded her baby was tested for RSV hours earlier. Now, she’s warning other parents so they can avoid the same fate.

“Talking about this is really, really hard but we decided as a family that this was the best way to love William—was to talk about him and what happened and hopefully prevent another family from going through what we’re going through,” Myers said.

Now, the family is raising funds on GoFundMe to build a memorial for William’s ashes in the backyard.