This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – An Oklahoma family who first battled COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic says the virus is rearing its head a second time.

“My life will literally never be the same. No part of what I went through will have left me unchanged,” said Beth Stiger.

Stiger says she narrowly survived COVID-19 in March. She says she was only around the 10th person in the state to test positive and spent nearly two weeks on a ventilator.

“There’s no words…there’s no words I can say to adequately thank God for saving me,” said Stiger.

Four months later, she took yet another blow.

“My sister called to let me know that my brother-in-law had been tested and they were quite sure he had it,” said Stiger.

Stiger says shortly after, her sister and her nephew also tested positive.

Stiger’s niece, Lori DeVore, says her dad is now in the hospital.

“My dad, he has diabetes, so this is a little bit rougher on his body. He woke up at 4 in the morning coughing so hard he couldn’t breathe,” said DeVore.

Stiger says she isn’t fully recovered herself, but now she’s facing a new fear.

“I was lucky and blessed that I got to survive; were they going to be lucky and blessed?” said Stiger.

Stiger says to make matters worse, one of her nephews, who has not tested positive for COVID-19, is already battling an autoimmune disease, putting him in a high-risk category for the virus.

“Just living fear, basically, is what we were doing, because if Landon gets it, who’s gonna be able to give him a liver?” asked Beth.

“If he gets this virus, he’s gonna go straight into liver failure,” said DeVore.

The family says they’re now pleading with others to do their part to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

“This is real. My aunt almost died. Please don’t treat us like this is a joke,” said DeVore.

“If you could have any opportunity to stop it and you don’t, shame on you,” said Stiger.

Stiger says she still struggles with everyday activities, and her lungs still aren’t functioning at full capacity. Her doctors tell her it could take up to a year for her to fully recover.

As for her sister and brother-in-law, Stiger says they’re making improvements.

LATEST HEADLINES