An anchor at Santa Barbara-San Luis Obispo CBS affiliate KCOY didn’t realize how closely one story would hit home. Paula Lopez read a story on the emergence of Enterovirus D68 in California, without realizing the first confirmed case in Santa Barbara County would be Lopez’s own daughter, 16-year-old Alana Ochoa:
“It was a sharpness in my chest, it was painful, it was worse than asthma,” she said.
AdvertisementWhile in the doctor’s office with her daughter, KCOY/KKFX news anchor Paula Lopez Ochoa had just read a news report about enterovirus. Lopez and Alana’s doctor agreed the test for enterovirus was important, because Alana’s symptoms were so severe. Those results came back Friday, confirming the teen as the first case in the county.
Lopez said her daughter’s case is an example of why parents must be vigilant with their children. “Use your gut Mom instincts,” Lopez said.