21-Year-Old Overwhelmed by Guilt After Giving Dad COVID-19 That Landed Him in Hospital

John Place is back home after surviving a battle with COVID-19 that landed him in the hospital for 45 days. The 43-year-old dad blames his son Nicholas for giving him the virus.

"I knew where I got it from. We were all being careful, but one person in my house thought it's more important to go hang out with some friends," John said from his hospital bed.

From the beginning of the pandemic, the Place family was cautious about limiting their risk of being exposed to the virus, including Nick. But then Nick attended a friend’s party without a mask. He got sick a few days later. COVID-19 quickly spread through the family, with five out of six of them catching it.

On Father's Day, John was rushed to a hospital where doctors placed on him on a ventilator. He was in a medically-induced coma for three weeks. 

"This is real," John said in a video that went viral. "I'm here. I was fighting for my life, because somebody in my house didn't wear a mask and decided to go out and have fun." 

The shame and regret 21-year-old Nicholas feels is profound.

"This man right here is literally like my rock," he told Inside Edition. "This is the man that's brought me up, took care of me, supported me and loved me all throughout my 21 years of living."

John was hospitalized for 45 days. He had to relearn everything, from bathing himself to walking again. 

Today the message they want to relate is a family coming together in forgiveness.

"We're a close family, and I love him so much," John said. "You know, I just hope that he learned from this."

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