Coronavirus doctor in heartbreaking photo with son loses home to tornado
A heartbreaking photo of a physician greeting his toddler son through a glass door touched the hearts of people across the globe last week. Now the family is asking for prayers after losing their home to a tornado.
“Look who we finally got to see today! Not going to pretend that I didn’t bawl like a baby when he left to go back to work,” Alyssa Burks wrote in a Facebook post on March 25. “We miss him, but we are doing what we have to do.”
Dr. Jared Burks, like many frontline workers in the medical profession, has chosen to separate from his family to keep them safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. But now, the dad of 4-year-old Zeke is coping with another unexpected hardship.
On Saturday, Alyssa Burks revealed that their home was destroyed when a tornado ripped through Jonesboro, Arkansas.
“We are all safe. Our house is gone. Jared was inside, but he survived by the grace of God,” she wrote Saturday. “Zeke and I were at my mom’s house. Please pray for us as we begin to pick up the pieces.”
At least 22 people were injured in the twister that tore roofs off buildings and flipped cars.
Evan Clower, who set up a GoFundMe for the family, wrote that Jared Burks will continue "working and fighting" for his patients.
In the Facebook picture that went viral last week, Jared Burks and Zeke are seen touching palms through a door. It was the first time Zeke had seen his father in two weeks.
"This just broke my heart. As soon as I saw the picture I knew what was going on. Thank you for the sacrifices your family is going through right now," wrote one person.
Added another, "Very important message."
