Hesitant family changes mind on COVID-19 vaccine after almost losing their son to the virus

West Valley teen's near-death from COVID-19 changes parent's minds on vaccines

The mother and father of Nicholas Hernandez say they were hesitant about getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at first, but they now plan to get vaccinated as soon as possible. FOX 10's Justin Lum reports.

PHOENIX - A Goodyear teen is one step closer to recovering from COVID-19, after spending nearly two weeks on a ventilator in a hospital ICU.

"We are battling emotions we never thought were possible," said Amanda Hernandez, mother of 17-year-old Nicholas Hernandez.

Nicholas almost succumbed to COVID-19

Nicholas' fight with COVID-19 started with flu-like symptoms three weeks ago. Nicholas tested positive days later, and his fever spiked. His father, Jose, found him one morning with breathing issues.

"So I started shaking his chest finally to try to get him to wake up, and we noticed that he still wasn't responding," said Jose.

Medics rushed Nicholas to the ER, and his parents say they learned the virus had taken a toll on his body.

"We actually talked about, while we were in the ER, on what we were gonna do if he was to pass away, because that's how bad his case was," said Jose.

Nicholas ended up at Phoenix Children's Hospital, and needed a ventilator. Jose stayed by his son's side, but Amanda got infected, and had to self-quarantine for ten days. She has since recovered, and is reunited with Nicholas.

"I've been praying at home. It's all I can do, so this was the actual first day I got to touch my son and hold his hand," said Amanda.

Family was hesitant about getting COVID-19 vaccine

The Hernandez family admits they wanted to wait on getting the vaccine, saying they were skeptical and concerned about side effects. After this battle, however, Amanda believes the shot could have made a difference.

"It's really important to get vaccinated and to protect not only your family, but to protect other people too," said Amanda.

The Hernandez Family is aiming to get Nicholas vaccinated as soon as mid-August. For now, however, he is still recovering from the virus.

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