An Indianapolis man has made a plea with the public to “make the tough and right choice” after losing both parents to the novel coronavirus just six minutes apart.

NFL agent Buddy Baker took to Twitter on March 31 with a heart-wrenching video about the untimely death of parents Stuart, 74, and Adrian Baker, 72.

“As many of you know, my parents recently contracted COVID-19 and unfortunately passed away this past Sunday due to complications,” he says in the video.

They’d been married 51 years, he added, saying they were in “perfect health” only a few weeks before their deaths.

“I know a lot of kids and young adults think they’re invincible and think this can’t happen to them and as long as people have that type of approach and mentality, then the virus isn’t going to stop spreading,” Buddy Baker said.

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“This is what we’re living. You don’t want to live this pain and you don’t want someone else to live this pain. While it’s not the fun choice, it’s the right choice and it’s the safe choice to stay home and do the things we can to potentially limit and eventually eliminate the consequences of this virus.”

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“My parents were two amazing individuals who impacted mine and many others’ lives, and unfortunately [we] tragically lost them both within minutes of each other,” Baker told ABC News.

“There is an opportunity here for people to realize that [they] can have an impact by stopping the spread of the virus.”

Stuart, who has asthma, was admitted to hospital on March 19 and was expected to go home in 48 hours. A few days later, Adrian was also admitted and her condition quickly took a turn for the worse, NBC affiliate WTHR-TV reports.

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“An hour into us dropping her off there, I got a call from the ER doctor saying they didn’t think she was gonna make it,” Buddy told the Indianapolis broadcast station. “They both deteriorated day by day until Sunday until we had them put into the same room when they said there was no chance either one was gonna make it.

“They were inseparable. They were married for 51-plus years.

“I don’t know how they would’ve lived without each other, to be honest.”

In his parents’ memory, a GoFundMe has been started to raise money to put towards an annual grant for a college student from New York City’s Queensbridge Houses, where Stuart grew up.

In just two days, it’s raised more than US$23,000.

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Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.

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Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.

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meaghan.wray@globalnews.ca

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