As doctors and nurses work tirelessly on the frontlines against the deadly coronavirus pandemic, they are experiencing many miracles and encounters with God first-hand.
Dr. Jared Burks has been working non-stop for the last few weeks to care for people affected by the coronavirus and has self-isolated to protect his wife and one-year-old son from exposure to the virus. Now on his first day off in two weeks, Jared finally got to see his family.
The heartbreaking reunion between father and son was snapped by Burks’ wife Alyssa who took a photo of the tired doctor greeting his son Zeke through the glass door of their home. The photo became one of the last memories the family shared in their Jonesboro, Arkansas, home, after their home was leveled by a tornado. Alyssa wrote in a post on Facebook that it was only “by the grace of God” that her husband survived.
Alyssa said that she and Zeke had been staying with her mother to practice safe social distancing from her husband when the storm hit. She said she got to know about the coming tornado while watching the news on Saturday and immediately called her husband, who was home alone when it touched down.
“I called him and said there’s a really really big tornado,” Alyssa said. She added that they decided the best option was for him to remain in the house and let the storm blow over.
Soon, Alyssa heard her home alarm and knew the home had been hit. Alyssa waited to hear from her husband that he was safe, and soon the call came. Thankfully, he was able to get into one of the master bathroom closets, as far away from any window as he could get, and escaped without injury.
Alyssa shared an update on Facebook after the storm was over to inform everybody that their family was safe from the EF-3 tornado and that Jared had survived, giving glory to God.
The tornado had injured 22 people in the Jonesboro area, and damaged hundreds of homes. The Burks’ home too was completely destroyed by the twister which made the picture even more precious to the young family than they could’ve imagined.
The family will forever be grateful for the sweet moment that Jared and Zeke shared at the glass door. Not only did the photo show the love between the two, but it was also the first time Jared got to see his son crawl and it was a memory from what once was their home.
“As soon as he saw his dad he just raced to the door,” Alyssa said. “He got up on the glass because I think he wanted him to hold him, so it was sad, it was cute, but it was really heartbreaking because it’s hard.”
By Tuesday morning, over $115,000 had been donated to the GoFundMe page created by a family friend, Evan Clower, to help get the Burks back on their feet.
“After the Coronavirus and having to be separated for weeks due to his residency, a tornado hit the Burks family home and destroyed it,” Clower wrote. “They are going to need help picking up the pieces so that they can find another place to live, collect their items, rebuild, all while Jared is working and fighting for those whose health may be compromised.”
Alyssa said that despite the difficulties, her husband is eager to get back to work as soon as possible to continue helping those who need it. Let us keep this beautiful family in our prayers and especially Dr. Jared Burks as he prepares to get back to the frontlines of the battle against coronavirus.
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