Children of West Nile Victim Mourning The Death of Their Father

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Warner Robins family is mourning the loss of their father who died last week of West Nile Virus.

Charles Hendrix was a family man, a loving father and a devoted husband. He served in the air force for 27 years and worked hard to provide for his loved ones. But a simple mosquito bite has turned his family upside down and sent them on a roller coaster of emotions.

It has been a rough two and half months for Tracy Perkins and her brother Dustin Hendrix. They say their father started feeling ill back in August and eventually went to the Houston Medical Center for treatment. He didn’t recover right away and was sent to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta after having a respiratory arrest.

After several diagnoses, the doctors confirmed it was West Nile.

“It never seems rare when it happens to you and that’s true,” Perkins said. “As rare as it is, it doesn’t feel rare when its you that it happens to. When its your loved one that it happens to. Its certainly not rare because its right here at home.”

Perkins and her brother say their father was paralyzed and on a ventilator. He was showing signs of recovery and sent to a long term care facility. He was then sent back to the hospital where his children honored his wishes to pull him off life support.

Both Tracy and Dustin are reaching out to the community and urging everyone to be safe when it comes to mosquitoes. They hope people will learn from their experience and take the necessary precautions anytime they’re outside.

Hendrix was one of three confirmed West Nile cases in Middle Georgia. The other two patients have fully recovered.