Texas mom of 5 in coma after family, including newborn, contracts COVID-19

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Wednesday, March 10, 2021
33-year-old mom of 5 fighting COVID-19 after giving birth
A Cypress family is praying for a miracle as a mother fights for her life after her newborn baby almost died and two of her other children are recovering after they all contracted COVID-19. ABC13's Steven Romo shares her husband's message to Houstonians.

CYPRESS, Texas -- While mask-wearing and pandemic restrictions are becoming even more controversial in Texas, for a Cypress family, the issues are clear.



Victoria Gallardo, a 33-year-old mother of five, is in a medically-induced coma fighting for her life after contracting COVID-19.



"It breaks my heart when the doctor says there's nothing else they can do. She's not done," said Victoria's husband, Armando. "There's no way. We're not giving up."



Armando said they took the virus seriously, wearing masks and social-distancing, but their 9-year-old daughter caught the virus and started showing symptoms one day at school.



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"My wife wears gloves in her own house. We were wearing masks everywhere," he said.



The family of seven all got sick, including their newborn daughter when she was just 11 days old.



"She developed a really high fever, didn't want to eat, was sleeping a lot," Armando said. "We became so worried. We didn't think she was going to make it at all."



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But as he and the kids got better, Victoria got worse.



"She has no health issues. No underlying conditions," Armando said. "She went into the ICU and has been in critical condition."



Armando posted an emotional video on Facebook, asking anyone in the medical field to reach out to him if they can help.



"It's hard to view your loved one like that. So I suggest people continue to wear masks," he said.



And he's encouraging everyone not to let their guard down, because the coronavirus is still taking its toll.

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