A woman who has acquired the coronavirus says she appreciates the well wishes of her many friends in North Texas and other parts of the country, but she would appreciate it even more if they would tone down their doom and gloom.
“Some people have been calling and been going, ‘Oh my God! I’m so sorry,’ like as if they have given me a death sentence,” said Toni Seaworth.
Seaworth, 55, lives in New York, where she is self-quarantined in her home with her two college-aged sons, who are experiencing the same symptoms she is – fever, body aches and their eyes are sore and irritated.
Seaworth is an actress and a singer, and she was the first African American Miss Mississippi in 1987.
Seaworth said she was first tested for the flu when she went to an urgent care facility last Thursday. When the test came back negative, the staff suggested a test for COVID-19 and suggested she stay in her home.
The positive test result came back on Monday of this week.
Seaworth said she has felt worse in the past but is taking her diagnosis seriously. She is focused on hydrating, has taken many homeopathic remedies and has converted a bathroom in her Brooklyn home into a makeshift sauna.
Prayer has been a powerful motivator for Seaworth. But she said the next best thing that she wants is for her friends to lift her up instead of bring her down.
“I think the first part of healing is in your mind. If I accepted every phone call that came in, and the minute someone is calling me and they’re, ‘Oh my God!’ or something like that, I’ve gotta go,” Seaworth said. “I can’t talk to you because I don’t need that. If you’re going to call me you better call me with some good, uplifting spirits. If not, I’m getting off that phone.”
