SAN ANTONIO — A quick search for Julian Tovar makes one thing clear, as a human rights activist he's faced a lot of challenges. But nothing could prepare him for a disease that spreads without prejudice.
"This virus definitely doesn't know any barriers or boundaries," Tovar told KENS 5 over FaceTime.
Tovar and his partner Marco Bustamante know that all too well.
"It all started with coughing, a light cough and allergy symptoms of that sort, but that quickly progressed," Tovar said about his partner, who started feeling symptoms at the end of March.
Bustamante went to the Freeman Coliseum to get tested, but before he could get the results back his symptoms worsened and he rushed to the emergency room.
"She was like, 'you know what, we have to admit you,'" Bustamante recalled.
"Everything from your right lung has spread to your left lung and you have full-blown pneumonia. Metro Health calls and says you've tested positive for coronavirus."
"It was scary because I didn't know what was going to happen, if I was going to walk out of the hospital," he added.
Bustamante still doesn't know how he got it, he assumes at the store or gas station, but what he does know is that he likely gave it to his partner.
"I had some inkling that I probably had it because I was starting not to feel well," Tovar said. "My doctor had given me my test results that it actually came back positive."
Now the two sit together battling this disease but doing so with a message. For those not taking this sickness seriously, no one is invincible.
"This is real, this is happening, stay home, you need to stay home," Bustamante insisted.