‘You don’t want to go through this.’ Father of Myles Turner on his coronavirus battle
A few NBA players have been hit with the coronavirus, an All-Star lost his mother to it, and now Myles Turner has been confronted with the confusing frightening reality of it all.
The former Euless Trinity and Texas star who is in his fifth season with the Indiana Pacers came home to Colleyville in the middle of March and shortly thereafter his father, David, tested positive for COVID-19.
David Turner is a coronavirus success story, but reaching that point sounds miserable.
About the only part of this experience David avoided was needing a ventilator. He was laid up in a hospital for several days, during which time he was essentially in isolation.
“It’s just what you normally hear, it’s all true,” David said in a phone interview with the Star-Telegram a few days ago. “I lost my sense of taste. I had the body aches. Fever chills. Bad, bad headaches. Worse than a migraine. It was bad.”
The whole experience prompted his son Myles to make a $50,000 donation to the COVID-19 Response fund at Texas Health HEB, the hospital where both he and his sister were born.
Diagnosed with COVID-19
It’s now been two months to the day since the NBA suspended its regular season following Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gobert testing positive for the coronavirus. That was March 11. Four days after that Myles flew from Indianapolis to DFW to be with his mom, dad and sister at their house in Colleyville.
The elder Turner figures he started to come down with the symptoms a few days before his son’s return to Texas. David had been in Boston to watch the Pacers’ game against the Celtics on March 10.
“It was all so new I just thought it was the flu bug,” David said. “I went to an after-hours clinic [in Colleyville], and they said it was the flu. They prescribed my Tamiflu, and then I developed a bad cough. I had contracted pneumonia.”
At one point he lost consciousness.
Even before he went to the clinic, David self-quarantined in his house. He used two rooms to isolate himself from the rest of his family. When he left the rooms, he wore gloves and a mask to be sure that he wouldn’t spread whatever it was that he had.
On March 24, Myles’ birthday, David was admitted to Texas Health HEB and took the coronavirus test. Three days later, the results came back positive.
“Of course we were all worried. It was at a time when we didn’t have as much information,” Myles said. “The people who were being treated were an older generation, and the people of the highest risk. It was my job as the man of the house to keep my mom and sister calm.”
That same day, Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star forward Karl-Anthony Towns revealed in an Instagram post that his mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, had been on a ventilator in a medically-induced coma as she fought COVID-19.
On April 14, Karl-Anthony Towns’ mother passed from COVID-19. She was 58.
David Turner is 56.
Alone in the hospital, there was virtually nothing David could do other than just sit there.
“You can’t see even into the hallway. Everyone who comes in is wearing all of this PPE. When they left the room, you’re just alone in your thoughts,” he said. “I’d call home and talk as much as I could. I had it all lined up in case something happened.
“I was on so many antibiotics and had so many IVs going through it. It all got old real quick. I could watch TV, but I really don’t watch TV.”
Healing from COVID-19
On March 29, David was released and headed home.
Mrs. Mary Turner made sure that everything was wiped down, and the house was extra clean. The Turners have been strict about following social guideline protocols, and are aware of what they touch.
“It’s been peaceful. This was the first time I’ve been home for my birthday in a long time,” said Myles, who’s now 24. “It’s been nice to be around and be able to relax and to see my family.”
Myles’ younger sister, Mya, attends Trinity and has been doing her schoolwork online.
A few weeks ago, having experienced firsthand what living with COVID-19 actually looks like, Myles made his donation. “The idea struck me as soon as he got home,” he said. “They took such great care of him.”
David said he now feels much better. The Turners are now like the rest of us, staying at home and filling all of this time as constructively as possible.
If you think you are showing symptoms, take it from these two: “Get tested,” David said. “Confirm it and isolate yourself so you don’t infect anyone else. You don’t want to go through this.
“This is out there and it’s not going anywhere. Even though restaurants and barber shops are opening up, be smart and protect yourself.”
This story was originally published May 11, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
