Coronavirus

Coronavirus News: Family celebrates 88-year-old surviving COVID-19

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

NJ family celebrates 88-year-old who survived COVID-19

Dan Krauth has more on the New Jersey family celebrating the 88th birthday of a COVID survivor.

EDISON, New Jersey (WABC) -- Celebrating her mother's 88th birthday was a day Roz Jordan didn't think she'd get to experience, fearing she would be planning something much worse just a month ago.

"I'm so grateful," she said. "I just can't wait to get her in my arms, that's all."

Her mother, Queenie Blount, is a resident of a nursing home in Edison, New Jersey, where she contracted COVID-19 last month.

Seven On Your Side Investigates spoke with Jordan when she received her mother's diagnosis, and she was worried about her survival.

Blount was sent into COVID confinement, and it was difficult to get updates on her condition.

Now, weeks later, the Jordan family threw a surprise birthday celebration outside of the nursing home.

As Blount peeked out of her new third-story window, the family stood down below and sang "Happy Birthday" in tears.

They covered a small caravan of cars with birthday banners and balloons, and even brought the family dog.

After singing, Jordan kept looking up at her mother in the window, telling her she was beautiful and saying, "Happy birthday, mommy."

"I'm very sad, but it's good to have them here, they're so close," Blount said via phone. "I'm going to get better."

Jordan called it one of the happiest days of her life.

"I'm just too elated, words can't even express the joy I'm feeling right now and the joy of your sharing our story is a blessing," she said. "I hope this joy brings some joy to other families whose parents and loved ones survived and share this joy with them too."

The family's looking forward to the day when they're allowed back inside the nursing home, to hug their matriarch in person.

While they weren't allowed inside due to a strict "no visitor" policy, the nursing home allowed the family to send Blount a steak dinner, balloons and a plant for her new room inside the center.