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Family makes plea to wear masks after seven members catch coronavirus | Wear the Gown

With seven catching the virus and only six surviving, the family knows how important it is to wear that mask.

SAN ANTONIO — Tonight we continue our "Why I Wear A Mask" campaign. In our next story, we speak with a family where seven of them caught the virus. 

"It started with my aunt, her sister that started showing symptoms first and then it started trickling down to my mom and then my grandmother," said Marla Rivas who was beside her mother Mary Salazar. Mary was one of those seven family members that caught the virus. Salazar told us, "My doctor and my daughter says I was on the ventilator for maybe 16 days, 17 days."

When Salazar got out of the hospital, she found out her mother had passed away from the virus. Salazar said, "I don't remember her passing away until I got out of the hospital and they told me and that's when I found out." Rivas added, "It was for me difficult because my grandmother passed away at about 4:30 that afternoon and we called EMS for my mom at six."

With seven catching the virus and only six surviving, the family knows how important it is to wear that mask. Rivas said, "It's just something simple that we can do to protect others, protect your family from going through what we went through, sleepless nights of worrying and praying."

RELATED: Wear The Gown: Battling coronavirus means putting on a mask. Tell us why you wear yours.

"It's not just about you and if you are not wearing a mask or socially distancing or washing your hands, you are being selfish because you are putting more persons at harm than just yourself," said Tommye Austin who is a Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive for the University Health System. Austin also told us, "What I would ask anyone who is in the public and not wearing a mask that you think of someone other than yourself and to please wear that mask."

"It is so simple that if you're going to be at the store, it's not going to be more than an hour there, so it is something so simple to use so simple to keep yourself safe other safe your family members safe," said Rivas. Salazar added, "I feel sorry for them because they don't know what they have to go through if they get it if they catch it."

They want you to wear that mask and we want to see you wearing it too. So take a selfie and share on social media, and in the caption tell us why you wear a mask. Be sure to include the hashtag #WhyIWearAMaskSA or you can share it with us on the home page of the KENS5 app. We'll be showing your videos on-air and online. 

For more information about family health call 210-358-3045. You can also find the rest of Wear The Gown stories, just go to WearTheGown.com.

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