Doctor Who Went Viral for Greeting Son Through Glass Door Survived Tornado 'By the Grace of God'
Dr. Jared Burks has worked tirelessly over the past few weeks sacrificing everything to care for people who have been exposed to or infected by the coronavirus in his community.
Not only has he been working long hours, but he also made the difficult decision to self-isolate in order to protect his wife and one-year-old son from exposure to the virus. On his first day off in two weeks, Jared was finally able to see his family.
During the both heartwarming and heartbreaking reunion of sorts, Burks’ wife Alyssa snapped a photo of the tired doctor greeting his son Zeke through the glass door of their home — a precious photo that would soon become one of the last memories the family would share in their Jonesboro, Arkansas, home.
Just three days after it went viral, the Burks’ home was leveled by a tornado. Alyssa wrote in a post on Facebook that it was only “by the grace of God” that her husband survived.
Alyssa told ABC News that she and Zeke had been staying with her mother to practice safe social distancing from her husband when the storm hit.
She said she was informed about the coming tornado while watching the news on Saturday and immediately called her husband, who was home alone when it touched down.
“I called him and said there’s a really really big tornado,” Alyssa said. She added that they decided the best option was for him to remain in the house and let the storm blow over.
Soon, Alyssa said she heard her home alarm and knew the home had been hit.
Alyssa waited anxiously for word that Jared was safe, and soon the call came. Thankfully, he was able to get into one of the master bathroom closets, as far away from any window as he could get, and escaped without injury.
Alyssa posted an update on Facebook after the storm was over to inform everybody that their family was safe from the EF-3 tornado and that Jared had survived, giving glory to God.
The tornado injured 22 people in the Jonesboro area, and leveled or damaged hundreds of homes.
The Burks’ home was among those completely destroyed by the twister. The door where the viral photo was captured just days before was damaged too, making the picture even more precious to the young family than they could’ve imagined.
The family will forever be grateful for the sweet moment that Jared and Zeke shared at the glass door. Not only did the photo show the love between the two, but it was also the first time Jared got to see his son crawl and it was a memory from what once was their home.
“As soon as he saw his dad he just raced to the door,” Alyssa told ABC News. “He got up on the glass because I think he wanted him to hold him, so it was sad, it was cute, but it was really heartbreaking because it’s hard.”
By Tuesday morning, over $115,000 had been donated to the GoFundMe page created by a family friend, Evan Clower, to help get the Burks back on their feet.
“After the Coronavirus and having to be separated for weeks due to his residency, a tornado hit the Burks family home and destroyed it,” Clower wrote.
“They are going to need help picking up the pieces so that they can find another place to live, collect their items, rebuild, all while Jared is working and fighting for those who health may be compromised.”
Alyssa told ABC News that despite the difficult times, her husband is eager to return to work as soon as possible to continue to help those who need it.
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