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“Dancing With the Stars” cast member and country superstar Jimmie Allen and his wife Alexis have partnered with healthcare company Sanofi to raise awareness about the highly contagious virus that is especially dangerous for babies, toddlers and the elderly.
In an Instagram video, Jimmie and Alexis recounted their emergency in late 2021 when their daughter Zara stopped breathing and had to be rushed to the hospital.
The Allens Said They Were Initially Turned Away From a Hospital
In November 2021, the Allens detailed on their social media how infant Zara and toddler Naomi fell ill and Alexis rushed them to the hospital in the middle of the night only to be turned away.
“Turned away by hospital yesterday AM Ambulance at 2AM. Basically if your child isn’t blue at the lips they will not have answers for you. That’s been my last 24 hours. Not one doctor has taken the time to actually listen and make sure she’s really okay – 10 min in and outs. What this nurse mama is seeing/hearing is so frightening,” said Alexis, who is a registered nurse, in an Instagram story at the time.
In a tweet, the “Dancing With the Stars” season 30 contestant later wrote how Zara stopped breathing and had to be rushed to a different hospital. He wrote, “Now thanks to the lazy doctors at a hospital in TN that just sent our daughter home, our daughter Zara lost color stopped breathing and is being rushed to another hospital. Thanks to the amazing EMT team that brought back Zara’s color she can breath again. Gonna be a rough night.”
He added in a second tweet, “Attention doctors, if the parent of your one-month-old patient tells you the child having a hard time breathing and the only thing your lazy self wants to do is check heart heart and temperature find another career. Your job is to save lives, so do it.”
Jimmie & Alexis Want to Help Raise Awareness So That Other Parents Know What to Look For
In a new video on Instagram, the couple talked about their experience with baby Zara getting so sick with RSV and how Allen didn’t know anything about it and what the signs were that he should be looking for.
“She was coughing so much that she couldn’t catch her breath,” said Alexis, adding, “I feel like we don’t really have awareness on it because of everybody’s need to keep everything in and not actually talk about stuff.”
“I didn’t know anything about RSV. Now I know to look for signs,” said Allen, adding, “I can tell you it’s scary, especially when it comes to infants. The one thing I did learn is when you don’t know, be quick to pick up the phone and call somebody who does.”
Alexis also encouraged parents to trust their instincts — “If you think something’s wrong, don’t let up until you get the answers that you’re looking for.”
“Things I’ve experienced, I’ve always been pretty open about it. I always want to share because the worst feeling ever is feeling like you’re alone and no one else has ever gone through it,” said Allen, and his wife added, “I’m just glad that we’re here today aeing able to tell our story and being able to talk about it because I don’t want anybody to have to go through this with their children.”
In the caption on the post, Allen elaborated about how scary it was, writing, “All I knew was that as a parent, this was my worst nightmare.”
“I’ve since learned that many parents are not aware of RSV and how serious it can be for babies. I’ve also learned that it’s the leading cause of hospitalization for babies under 1. That’s why Lexi and I are joining forces with Sanofi help educate and empower other parents about this highly contagious virus. Through sharing our experience, we also hope to help parents feel less alone,” wrote Allen.
He also encouraged parents to visit KnowingRSV.com to learn more about the virus.
In the comments, Allen’s famous friends are praising the couple for speaking out and trying to help other families.
Actress Rita Wilson, who is married to actor Tom Hanks, wrote, “You’re doing people a great service by sharing your experience.”
Reality star Bob Guiney added, “We went thru it too with both boys… it’s terrifying. Hopeful that your family is on the mend.”
Many of his fans added their personal stories about their children or grandchildren who had had RSV and how long they were hospitalized. One fan said her daughter contracted RSV as an infant the same age as Zara was and was in the ICU for 10 days.
“It was the scariest thing that I’ve ever gone through in my life. So very thankful to all of the staff at A.I. DuPont. My baby girl is getting ready to turn 6. I also had never heard of RSV up until then,” wrote the fan.
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