PORTLAND, Maine — Editor's note: You are starting to hear the term 'flattening the curve' as a way to stem the tide of coronavirus cases. The above video explains what that means.
UPDATE: Jardine shared over the weekend -- in addition to testing positive for COVID19, her father's kidneys are not functioning properly and it's possible he will need bedside dialysis. She is also urging Maine lawmakers to push for access to the drug, Remdesivir.
After her father was diagnosed with coronavirus, COVID-19 and placed in an induced coma in the same day, Ashley Jardine is urging others to take the pandemic seriously.
“My dad is alone,” Jardine said in her Facebook post. “And my family and I are separately quarantined, unable to be there to hold his hand, and unable to physically be there for one another.”
Jardine tells NEWS CENTER Maine her father began experiencing symptoms last Thursday and has no underlying medical conditions. She is now urging others to be overly cautious and aware of the real dangers of the Coronavirus.
Social Distancing Video
She shared this message to Facebook early Saturday morning:
'Saying I love you to a photograph is what I've had to do, because I cannot be with you while you fight for your life.”
Right now I am fully surrendering myself. I have to have faith in the system I have dedicated my career to, and hold onto hope that the healthcare professionals training to take this virus head-on can help my Dad pull through.
He is currently in an induced coma on a ventilator, and at this moment we are very uncertain of what is to come, and we are, of course, deeply fearful -- but we are doing our best to hold onto hope.
We ask for your positive vibes, healing energy and prayers during this incomprehensible time. I also ask that you respect my Mom's space; her phone needs to be totally available for updates considering she/we cannot physically be there with him (which has been the most terrible part of this entire nightmare). My dad is alone. And my family and I are separately quarantined, unable to be there to hold his hand, and unable to physically be there for one another. This is what helplessness feels like.
Please. Please take this pandemic seriously. Please overreact. Please be overly cautious. Please stop thinking this couldn't possibly happen to you or your family, because I was in denial, too, and now this is our reality.
I love you, Dad. ❤
#PeteStrong’
Jardine says she hopes she and her family can share good news soon.
At NEWS CENTER Maine, we're focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus
NEWS CENTER Maine Coronavirus Coverage
RELATED: How ‘stay-at-home’ orders and gathering bans due to coronavirus are being enforced in Maine
NEWS CENTER Maine YouTube Coronavirus Playlist