Minneapolis Father and Daughter Contract Coronavirus While Bowling

father and daughter contracted the coronavirus bowling event

By Fatima Virrey , Parent Herald Oct 18, 09:51 pm

A Minneapolis father and daughter contract the coronavirus at a bowling event and are currently fighting the virus together.

At the age of 71, the dad, Pat Bettendorf, is considered a high-risk person during the pandemic. So, he took and followed all safety protocols and safety measures to assure safety about the virus. And just this last week, he found out his results.

The father gets tested

Bettendorf said that the following day, he felt crappy. He had a low-grade fever and a severe headache.

The call that he got was from an asymptotic person that his family had contacted at a socially-distanced bowling event where he went to watch his daughter.

After hearing that call, Bettendorf quickly got tested and set up an appointment the next day to get the test, and within 24 hours, he got his results back. His results came back positive. Bettendorf worries about his family, thinking about who is going to get the virus next?

How did he get the virus?

Bettendorf got his answer when they found out that his daughter Sadie, a 14 years old freshman at Stillwater High School, got the virus as well. It concluded that the father and daughter contracted the coronavirus in the bowling event that they went to together.

Sadie said that what she felt was just like the cold symptoms, and she had a runny nose. She added that in the mornings, she had a sore throat and lots of sneezing.

Instead of worrying more about herself, Sadie worries more about his father as he is considered high risk and very vulnerable to the virus. Sadie added that she keeps a close eye on her father and his symptoms because her father lost his taste, smell, and sleep 14 hours a day. A tool called a pulse oximeter tracks her father's blood oxygen levels.

The dad's job

For many years, Pat Betterndorf's therapy dogs brightened the lives of hospital patients and MSP Airport passengers. However, his work went away for the last six months when the coronavirus pandemic happened and stopped his visits.

In an interview, Bettendorf said that people mostly hear about other people who get sick, and they don't know who they are. He is talking about COVID-19 patients whose identities are kept secret because of confidentiality.

Right now, Bettendorf thinks that he has been through the worst of it, saying that he has finally started turning a corner, and he already lost the fever.

The father and daughter's call

The father and daughter who contracted the coronavirus in a bowling event wish that more people would be public about and with their own stories. They believe that if people will come forward and be honest about it, it will reduce the stigma. The dad and daughter think that this will be a reminder that although people like them - the father and daughter who contracted the coronavirus - have the virus, being cured is still possible, and they will all be alright.