PHOENIX — More than 100,000 Americans took off work last month to care for children, the most ever, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Heather Hurwitz, a Coldwell Banker Real Estate agent, was one of them.
“My family came down with influenza A,” Hurwitz said.
It's a change of pace for the realtor, whose business requires her to be always available.
“I do open houses weekdays, weekends," Hurwitz said. “It’s an every day, 24/7-hour job.”
However, her job as a mom comes first.
“My kids are my number one priority,” Hurwitz said.
The week after Thanksgiving, her family came down with the flu. Open houses, training classes, and meetings were canceled to help care for her daughters.
“If they are sick, if they are having a bad day, I drop everything for them.” Hurwitz said, “It’s really tough, they are needing you, and you want to be there for them and love them and cuddle them.”
Hurwitz is far from alone. Nationwide, cases of RSV, Covid-19, and the flu are surging.
“With the number of kids coming in sick, especially young kids, they can't be left by themselves right? So parents have to take time off to spend with their kids until they can go back to school,” said Dr. Gary Kirkilas, a pediatrician at Phoenix Children's Hospital. “Every day I come in, I'm seeing numerous kids. Young kids with RSV, older kids with flu.”
Dr. Kirkilas recommends keeping children up to date with their vaccines as the best defense against diseases. However, if they do get sick, it is probably best to have them stay home.
Kirkilas knows the challenges as a father himself.
“It’s never a fun moment because I know as soon as my 3-year-old comes in with the sniffles, I know my 5-year-old will get it, then my 8-year-old.”
“It’s a lot of balance,” Hurwitz said.
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