we appreciate your . good evening. i'm juju chang. thank you for joining us. we made it through another friday, and we hope you're all staying safe at home. tonight, once the picture of health, now their struggles tfo survival. >> i felt my body shutting down, shutting down. >> struggling to breathe and stay alive for her children, what she thought might be her last moments. and a love story interrupted by the deadly virus. >> he was in so much pain and so scared. and breathing heavily. and i just said i was so sorry and that he was going to get better and stay strong for us. >> waiting for word from the icu, as a husband fights for his

survival. these are the stories from the front lines of covid-19 cases around the country, as we follow the stories of those living in isolation and on the edge. "nightline" on this friday night will be right back.

who ever thought that

talking, something as simple as talking, would be this difficult. >> just last week, terrica parks thought she was moments away from deaths. >> because it felt like i was using all the energy i had just to stay alive. i felt my body was shutting down. >> you literally thought you were going to die. >> yes, ma'am, i started living through all the old pictures of me and my kids and my husband. i was crying. >> she swiped through her phone, one last glimpse, she thought, of her children, harmony and ethan. >> what what was going through mind? >> i was thinking about not seeing my kids graduate, i lost my mom. and i laid there and cried. i didn't feel anymore fight if me. >> terrica is part of a growing number of young people from state to state, all the way from

colorado to georgia. >> just because you're young doesn't mean you're not going to get sick. >> the coronavirus is a real thing. >> the coronavirus is very much real. >> urging young people not only to do their part with social distance. >> appreciate your commitment to presenting t protecting the masses. >> what we're starting to see, people who are younger, your age, young, healthy, vigorous, who don't have underlying conditions getting seriously ill. >> earlier this month, the cdc reporting that nearly 40% of people hospitalized in the united states were between 20 and 54. it's unclear how many had preexisting conditions and yet covid-19 is more dangerous in older prai older patients, as deaths are mostly over the age of 65. we show you the young people, terrica, it all began two weeks

ago in albany, georgia. this started in church. >> i was at the church on the 10th. on the 14th, i started to feel weird. i thought maybe i had like maybe a stomach bug. >> you had stomach issues. >> yes, ma'am. i was very nauseated. i couldn't keep any of my food down. and i love to eat. later that night i developed a fever. >> how high did it spike? >> 102.6. >> when did it occur that oh, my goodness i might have covid-19? >> i got a call from one of the members of the church. >> someone at the church tested positive for covid-19. as an asthma sufferer, terrica new her underlying condition could make the effects of the virus much worse. she went to get tested. >> so they swabbed me for covid-19. >> a week went by before the test results came back and

confirmed what she was afraid of. >> my symptoms continued to get worse, vomiting blood. i was in a fetal position in my bed. i was in excruciating pain and i remember texting my husband and telling him i couldn't fight anymore. >> but her husband determined this would not be her last day. >> my heart rate was 156 beats per minute and my temperature 104. >> from her hospital bed, weak and frail, she took to facebook. one last prayer on her lips. >> i never felt so much pain in my life. i was ready to give up. and i had to reapmind myself of who i am and whose i am. trust in the lord with everything within you. >> it's a prayer that aaron needs now more than ever. he and his husband raoul, both

under 40, know the full force of the virus. what's keeping you up at night? >> the fear that my husband is not going to come home to me. and then of course just the fear that this is going to get so much worse. >> aaron says his doctor told him to assume he has the virus as his husband fights for his life in the icu. >> when was the last time you got to see him face-to-face? >> so we were in the emergency room. and he was in so much pain. they said hey, we're going to admit raoul to the hospital, and there are no visitors allowed in the hospital right now. and i just said i'm so sorry, and he was going to get better and to stay strong for us. >> oh, i'm so sorry, honey. >> so i took him into the hospital on sunday. on tuesday he went onto the

ventilator, and they were very specific with me that they still thought the virus was going to be increasing and that he was going to get sicker and sicker. >> the pandemic a terrible twist in the otherwise idyllic love story. how did you two fall in love? >> so, the good old-fashioned way, we met online about ten years ago. and our first date, and we took a little hike and had ice cream. >> they are married and moved to denver where they now live. to mark their second anniversary, they were looking forward to another hike. >> on tuesday, the 24th. that was our second wedding anniversary. and that was the day that he was moved to the icu and put on a veerlt. >> aaron's crohn's disease and medication makes him more vulnerable to the virus but it was raoul in peak physical shape

whose illness took a terrible turn. after the cough and fever, what were the, how candidate did the symptoms accelerate for raoul? >> his fever was always high. 101 to 103. so by the third day it was like, honey, i've got to take you to the emergency room. they isolated him, took a chest x ray and started monday towering blood objection inventory levels and the x ray showed he had pneumonia in both of his lungs. >> the symptoms came on strong for meara, a healthy and active college junior. >> i woke up feeling so warm and decided to take my temperature, 104. i was feeling very ache eyy, wyw out. i started coughing that dry, painful cough that led to wheezing. >> in early march she headed to spain for a spring break trip slid she'd been looking forward to

for months. within days the number of cases were exploding. >> the cases were tripling overnight and i called my mom and said i think it's best i try to get home a day early in case i do get sick. >> a few days after being back in the u.s. she could no longer dismiss symptoms as jet lag. when she was finally able to get tested it was positive, covid-19. >> this is my childhood bedroom, which has transformed into a studio apartment of sorts. >> she's now in isolation back home with her family and recovering day by day. but still frustrated that too many of her peers may still not be taking this seriously. >> it was very hard for me personally to be laying in bed, you know, gasping for air and watching my peers extend their spring breaks and partying on the beaches. i don't think that they realize that the impact that that has. >> we may be seeing more cases in the united states in part because young people are more

likely to be working, more likely to be going to school and more likely to be in communal living environments. people that are around more people more frequently are more likely to contract it. >> when we come back, terrica's brush with death. >> they had a short time frame to get this medication in before my organs started to shut down. >> so you literally were dying in your bedroom. >> yes, they told me i got there just in time. >> and aaron waits for any word on his husband's condition. >> i always want to hear how raoul's doing, but you also don't, because it cob bad news. to help keep you free from the risk of hiv. from the makers of truvada, a new prep option: descovy for prep. a once-daily prescription medicine that helps lower the chances of getting hiv through sex. it's not for everyone. descovy for prep has not been studied in people assigned female at birth. talk to your doctor to find out if it's right for you. step up. for health and body. prep up for your one and only love

or many loves. for kings, this queen, and you royals in between. for my now. our now. and my future. our future. step up. prep up. descovy is the newest way to prep. descovy does not prevent other sexually transmitted infections, so it's important to use safer sex practices and get tested regularly. you must be hiv-negative to take descovy for prep. so you need to get tested for hiv immediately before and at least every 3 months while taking it. if you think you were exposed to hiv or have flu-like symptoms, tell your doctor right away. they may check to confirm you are still hiv-negative. serious side effects can occur, including kidney problems and kidney failure. rare, life-threatening side effects include a build-up of lactic acid and liver problems. the most common side effect was diarrhea. tell your doctor about all the medicines and supplements you take, or if you have kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis. if you have hepatitis b, do not stop taking descovy without talking to your doctor. ask your doctor about your risk of hiv and if descovy for prep is right for you. words are loud but actions are louder. step up. prep up. with descovy for prep. get help paying for descovy for prep.

learn more at stepupprepup.com ♪ a lot of folks ask me why their dishwasher doesn't get everything clean. i tell them, it may be your detergent... that's why more dishwasher brands recommend cascade platinum... ...with the soaking, scrubbing and rinsing built right in. for sparkling-clean dishes, the first time. cascade platinum. be stronger... with nicorette coated ice mint. layered with flavor. it's the first and only coated nicotine lozenge. for an amazing taste... ...that outlasts your craving. nicorette ice mint.

we find a way through it. it's about taking care of each other. it's the small parts that make a big difference. at chevy, we promise to do ours.

we're offering chevy owners complimentary onstar crisis assist services and wifi data. if you need a new chevy, interest-free financing for 84 months - with deferred payments for 120 days on many of our most popular models. you may even shop online and take delivery at home. it's just our way of doing our part...

two guys in good health, inn the prime of your lives. this is not supposed to happen. >> i think wie're all living ina surreal world, to have a loved one in the hospital, on life support, you're unable to visit. you're isolated in your house. >> for aaron whose husband is battling covid-19 in the intensive care unit, his days are spent in waiting. what's that like waiting for that daily update? >> terrifying. i get up in the morning. i'm going to try to stay positive. but then as the hours start creeping closer to that 2:00 time zone, i definitely get more nervous. i think no news is good news. >> but on this date there's an update. >> a physician called me and systematically goes through

raoul's stats. today he's not any better, but he's not any worse. >> i know you can't physically be with him or talk to him, but if you could, what would you say to him right now? >> i'd say that the whole world's behind him. we have friends and family and everybody supporting him. people have been so i'm so grateful for their support. >> you have a lot of love in your life. >> we have so much to live for and such a future full of adventures. >> across the cun any alban e , georgia, terrica parks is waiting for her adventure, life outside of isolation. >> this is where i have been since march 14th. self-isolation at its finest, y'all. it has been miserable. like my kids are in this room right here, and they are literally afraid of me, y'all. watch this. hey, harmony, can you come in

for a minute? >> no, ma'am, you're still under quarantine! >> i imagine it's hard to have your own children be afraid of you. >> yes, that's difficult. the main thing is they say i don't want to get sick. they witness what i went through. >> what do you think about the messaging out there that oh, young people are going to be just fine with covid-19. >> you know what, the sad part about it, i fell victim to that. i'm young. everybody saying young people don't get it, and then i got it. this is very serious. it's very vital that everybody takes it as serious as it is because it can happen to anyone. >> now terrica is counting down the days. >> when will you finally be able to hug your children again? >> tomorrow is my last day. >> tomorrow. how much are you looking forward to putting your arms around your babies? >> i am definitely looking forward to that. we don't value the little things. i didn't realize i would miss hugging my kids.

♪ it's your time now >> she'll hold them close that night, little ethan and her daughter harmony, clutching them as tightly at song she care eri in her heart, a song of promise, a song of hope. ♪ everything going to be okay ♪ but joy comes in the morning ♪ >>a sweet melody. and joining us, dr. jen ashton to discuss tonight's show. you warned us about these outliers, these young people, some with no underlying conditions that fall gravely ill. what explains that? >> we have to remember that statistics are important in medicine is, and the vast majority of people who become critically ill are older. that is a fact. but there willing outliers.

a young person may have such a robust system that in attacking the virus it may also attack healthy lung tissue. it's not totally understood. >> we're talking about the cdc that more young people were needing hospitalization in the united states, more so than china and italy. are there theories as to why? >> it might have something to do with behavior, maybe a predilection for e-cig smoking. but it's unknown. >> aaron's husband raoul is on a ventilator, but i understand that covid-19 patients sometimes need prolonged time on these machines. >> we have to remember, juju, that ventilators can be life saving balls th save because they can take theae the work of breathing, but this

isn't a short-term fix. but that's why it can be such an essential part of critical care. >> all of these stories, these cases that we're seeing of young people are scare eyy, and yet t are still rare in the larger story. can you put this in perspective for us? >> you know, juju, i think the psychological stress of this pandemic is just as important as the physical feature, and even myself, as an adult, as a mother, as a doctor, when i start to to the data, that 80% of the cases are mild and the vast majority of fatalities occur in the people over the age of 80. that doesn't mean that occasionally we won't see a tragedy in a younger person but you have to remember the power of the data. because it can give people a sense of hope and calm.

>> you always give us a sense of calm. thanks for joining us. stay safe this weekend. rest and enjoy. >> thank, juju. up next, the sweetest of songs from a team of surgical residents. ♪ sharing all the world ♪ ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ you might say that i'm a dreamer ♪ ♪ ooh, ooh ay. i thought, i'm not letting anything take me away from my family that loves me and needs me without a fight. when i came to cancer treatment centers of america, they said we're going to do everything we can. i just felt confident, they are behind me. i had six, seven doctors that worked together to take me through this journey. they're not just treating the cancer, they're treating me as a whole person.

they have naturopathic support, occupational therapy, nutritionists, i took advantage of all of that. and that's why i think i am where i am today and i'm very grateful for that. get care like no other. call us at cancer treatment centers of america. get care like no other. so, you bought those "good enough" paper towels? [daughter laughs] not such a bargain. there's only one quicker picker upper. bounty, the quicker picker upper. hey allergy muddlers... achoo! ...do your sneezes turn heads? try zyrtec... ...it starts working hard at hour one... and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. zyrtec muddle no more.

a former army medic, made of the we maflexibility to handle members like kate. whatever monday has in store and tackle four things at once. so when her car got hit, she didn't worry. she simply filed a claim on her usaa app and said... i got this. usaa insurance is made the way kate needs it - easy. she can even pick her payment plan so it's easy on her budget and her life. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. usaa

. and that's "nightline" for tonight as the covid-19 crisis continues. we hope that you and your loved ones are staying as safe as you can. the and for those on the front lines, we thank you for your tireless and selfless service. in uncertain times, these are the moments that lift our spirits, courtesy of two ort be pedic surgeons from the mayo clinic. ♪ imagine all the people ♪ sharing all the world ♪ ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ you might say that i'm a dreamer ♪ ♪ but i'm not the only

♪ i hope someday that you will join us ♪ ♪ and the world will live as one ♪ one ♪ >> dicky: from hollywood, it's "jimmy kimmel live"! tonight -- bob odenkirk. comedian iliza shlesinger. and music from soccer mommy. and now, prk up, jimmy kimmel!

♪ [cheers and applause] >> jimmy: i'm jimmy, i'm the host. thank you for watching, thank you for coming. thank you for joining us on what is a day of reflection for catholics. if you see someone's with ashes on it, either they're catholic or they put out a cigarette on their forehead. have you given anything up for lent? >> guillermo: weed, jimmy. >> jimmy: wheat? did you say wheat? >> guillermo: no, i said smoking weed. >> jimmy: i didn't even know you did that. if you're looking for something to give up for the next 40 days. pope francis has an idea. he's encouraged us to stop insulting people online. it's a time to give up useless words, gossip, rumors, tittle-tattle. i'm with him on all but the tittle-tattle. please, stop mean tweeting the