Parents Remember Son Who Died of Coronavirus
CAMEROTA: Thirty-one-year-old Riley Rumrill is the youngest patient in Massachusetts to lose his life to coronavirus. Riley's parents say he was treated with an anti-malaria drug but his condition still declined. His parents have a message for everyone, to take this virus seriously. And Diana and Bob Rumrill join us now. Diana and Bob, we're so sorry for your loss. Riley just sounds like a wonderful kid. So just start by telling us about him. What should we know?</s>BOB RUMRILL, SON DIED OF CORONAVIRUS: He was the light of the party. I mean he was carefree, always looking out for other people. He'd give -- the kind of guy that, you know, you always say give you the shirt off his back. That's what he would do. He -- and one time actually found a homeless guy, bought him a tent. I mean he just was like that his whole life.</s>CAMEROTA: And so, Diana --</s>DIANA RUMRILL, SON DIED OF CORONAVIRUS: Yes, he was always smiling and laughing. Go ahead.</s>CAMEROTA: Go ahead, Diana.</s>D. RUMRILL: He was always smiling and laughing and his smile was infectious. He just -- when he smiled, you smiled.</s>CAMEROTA: The pictures are great. I mean we see him with friends and siblings and he just -- it looks great. And so have doctors given you any clue as to why this virus hit him so hard, though he was only 31 years old? Did he have underlying health conditions?</s>B. RUMRILL: Riley had kind of got bronchitis quite a bit. Never was on any asthmatic drugs. But bronchitis would affect him. Even as a child, I mean, he was the bronchial guy, you know. Of course, he was always large. I mean he was big boned. A big kid. But generally healthy. He wasn't really in bad shape, although when he went to the hospital in Boston, of course, he had the fever and the coughing and, you know, shortness of breath. But I think that was all symptomatic of the virus, not necessarily his current, you know, health issues. I mean, I think his health was -- it was OK. It wasn't, you know.</s>D. RUMRILL: He was generally healthy, yes.</s>B. RUMRILL: Yes.</s>CAMEROTA: So on Saturday, March 21st, he went to Boston Medical Center with 104 degree fever. As you said, shortness of breath. And I know that you say that you believe that the doctors did try the anti- malaria treatment on him. Did you mean that Hydroxychloroquine? Do you know if he got that?</s>B. RUMRILL: I understand from my son, who was bedside with him, that also -- he also lives in Boston, told us that they -- they were giving him that drug. And we have -- because we didn't know. Of course the world didn't know much about what's going on. We have people in California, my other son called out to California and asked them, what were they doing out there, and they agreed that they're doing the malaria drug. So he was given the malaria drug. And I think some type of antibiotic to go with it. But as of -- you know, he goes in like Sunday morning, 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. By Tuesday, 10:00, 11:00 maybe, because I talked to him about 9:00 just on texting, he was admitted, sedated and we never got to talk to him again.</s>D. RUMRILL: Yes, put on a ventilator.</s>B. RUMRILL: From Tuesday all the way through the following Sunday morning at 2:00 a.m. is when he actually passed away.</s>CAMEROTA: Gosh. We're so sorry. And were your -- were your other kids, sons, able to give him messages from you?</s>B. RUMRILL: Yes, they -- you know, you heard the cell phone, the iPhone. They actually dressed my oldest son up and he went into the room. He looked like an astronaut, but he went into the room and he was able to talk to Riley. Of course Riley couldn't talk back. And we were also able to talk through the iPhone so Riley could hear our voices and hoping that hearing us tell him to fight that maybe he could -- could beat this thing. Because he was still, you know, doing good all through Saturday. And that's when the turn of events got really dramatic.</s>CAMEROTA: That's what's so mysterious about this whole virus, just how quickly people can decline and even young people, as your son is evidence of. And so, Diana, I know that it was important for you guys to come on and just tell other families about your story, to try to prevent the anguish that you're going through. So what is your message?</s>D. RUMRILL: Just stay at home. This is a silent killer. And you don't know if you have it. And if you have it, you could be OK, but it could be fatal. Just like our son. He went on Sunday and Tuesday he was on ventilator. They even put him on dialysis to take the strain off his body. And by next Sunday he was gone.</s>CAMEROTA: Bob, what's your message for everyone listening?</s>B. RUMRILL: Well, we couldn't really be there with Riley. But we could take his death and make him, if you want, a poster child for at least this Alabama area where we live and across the country where we've got friends and neighbor so that he's not just a number, he's a person with a face. And the fact that he had a message. And the message is, don't take undue risk. This thing could be infected by anybody you meet or talk with. Stay away from other people. Stay home if you can. Wash your hands. And just pray to God that you're not going to be the next victim because a lot of people get sick. Some come out of it. But, in this case, he just never came out of it again. That's my message.</s>CAMEROTA: Yes. Well, thank you both for your generosity and your kindness and sharing that message with everybody else, even in this dark hour of your grief. So, Diana and Bob Rumrill, we really appreciate you sharing a little bit of Riley with us. Thank you both very much.</s>B. RUMRILL: Thank you.</s>CAMEROTA: And we hear your message. NEW DAY will be right back.