WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Positive coronavirus test results is something Thomas Hilbun never thought he'd face.
But that changed last week after having lunch with friends.
"It kind of really hit us out of nowhere," Hilbun said.
Hilbun said he and his wife went to church on Sunday and then a restaurant with friends. Days later, Hilbun said he and his wife started to feel sick.
"We wanted to check on them first to see if they tested positive and then they did," he said.
From there, Hilbun said the symptoms commenced.
"My wife started to get a runny nose and shortness of breath. I was coughing a couple days before that," he said.
Hilbun and his wife went to get tested right after hearing from their friends. When he got his test results back, he was angry, but not surprised to see the positive result.
"Knowing that my friend that I hung out with tested positive I really wasn’t surprised," he said.
Hilbun said he and his wife were wearing masks and social distancing leading up to testing positive, with the exception of when they sat down to eat at the table.
"I just wanted a different result," he said, "I knew the coronavirus was pretty a big deal but I didn’t even fathom me ever getting it. I just thought I was invincible and thought that this couldn’t hit me."
Hilbun said he and his wife both had low-grade fevers, but felt terrible at the height of their symptoms.
"This virus is definitely different than any virus my wife and I have ever had," he said, "We’ve had stomach flu, we’ve had a cold. We’ve had the flu. I mean, you mix that all together and that’s basically what the coronavirus feels like."
"We felt rough. I was dealing with pneumonia plus COVID-19," he said, "My wife, she's a trooper when she's sick, but this shot her down hard."
Hilbun said the couple's symptoms included a runny nose, vomiting, coughing, shortness of breath, and tightness in the chest.
Hilbun said he's worried about his 4-year-old son. He's been in isolation with his parents, and luckily isn't showing symptoms.
"What worries me the most is he’s autistic so the whole COVID testing for him would really freak him out," Hilbun said.
Hilbun's advice to others is to be careful.
"Live your life, yes, but don’t be so naive. Don’t be so naive and don’t be so anti-masks," he said.
