Mother pleads for help, calling for clinical drug to treat daughter with COVID-19

APPLE VALLEY, Calif. - A 27-year-old woman is in the hospital battling coronavirus, and her mom is pleading for help.

Lauren Acosta was diagnosed with coronavirus last Wednesday, and has been at St. Mary's Hospital in Apple Valley ever since. She is on a ventilator, and her mom, Lisa Loya, said she is in a delicate state.

"She's fighting to breathe. Even with her ventilator, she was having difficulty breathing," said Loya.

Loya is a nurse, and said she took every precaution possible to prevent bringing coronavirus home.

"I just kept saying I can't bring this home to her because she will have a terrible time getting rid of it. I feel terribly guilty and to see her on that ventilator just rips my heart apart. She's such a sweet girl and she has so much to live for," said Loya.

Acosta has struggled with asthma all of her life, and beat thyroid cancer.

"It's hard enough to see her struggle daily with her asthma, and then we found out she had thyroid cancer, and that was terrible," Loya said.

Loya is fighting to get the clinical drug, Remdesivir, because she believes it can give her daughter a fighting chance. She said the drug is being given specifically to patients 18 years old or younger or people who are pregnant. She is also trying to get plasma donations.

"It's been really hard to get. Even my work has tried to help get Remdesivir for Lauren," she said.

Loya is hoping to get her daughter moved to another facility for treatment. The family has created a GoFund Me page to help with medical bills.

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