My Son, Who Got The Virus And Recovered, Is My COVID Hero

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Last week, Patch asked our readers to nominate local "COVID heroes," regular people who might not be getting the recognition they deserve at this time.

And a Patch reader who lives in East Brunswick, James Chico, Sr., nominated his son, James Chico, Jr.

Chico, 27, works in logistics at a warehouse in Cranbury, said his father. The months of April and March were very busy, and there has been a high demand for deliveries in and out. Chico loves his job, said his father, and he is an essential worker who keeps things moving overseeing all shipments going out.

About three weeks ago, his son started coughing.

"He told us 'Stay away from me, because I'm not sure what's going on,'" said his father. Chico lives with his parents, both 62, in East Brunswick.

Chico went to an urgent care center, where healthcare workers said his chest was clear and told him he was healthy enough to go back to work. But then, three to four days later, he developed what has become one of the hallmark signs of coronavirus: He completely lost his sense of taste.

"He kept coughing and had a fever. Thank God he stayed away from us," said his father. "He was exhausted, could not get out of bed, coughing terribly."

Chico took his son to Brunswick Urgent Care, where the young man was tested for the virus. Two days later, they got results back: Positive for COVID-19.

Chico stayed in his parents' home for the next 10 days. He mostly stayed on the first floor, while his parents stayed upstairs. The family put a tarp up to isolate Chico and handed him meals under the tarp.

"We were afraid he would have problems breathing, but thankfully that never happened," said his father. "He thinks he got the virus on the job; there were some other of his co-workers who had it."

Chico never developed severe chest pain, but "There were some days where his body was aching and he couldn't get out of bed," said his father. "But after a couple days, he was back up again."

The entire time, Chico couldn't want to get back to work. He felt better before the 10-day quarantine was up, but stayed inside as a precaution. As soon as he could, he was back to work. Still, COVID's hooks are long lasting: Chico is only just now, more than three weeks later, starting to get his sense of smell and taste back.

"His company has been understanding and wanted him to stay home because they didn't want anybody else to get infected," said his father. "A lot of people are scared to go back to work, but he's one of those guys who loves what he does. He just loves his job and he couldn't wait to get back to work. That's why he's my COVID hero."