Cain says mom got COVID-19

Noah Cain had apprehensions about returning to Penn State for voluntary workouts.

The sophomore running back saw the way the coronavirus easily could impact one’s life as four family members, including his mother, Tonya, tested positive for COVID-19.

“It definitely needs to be taken seriously,” Cain said Tuesday during a video conference. “It’s not a joke. My cousin had it, my auntie had it, my momma had it. The coronavirus is a real serious thing. It’s scary.

“Some days you don’t know if the person is going to make it, honestly.”

Cain said his mother, who lives in Dallas, contracted the disease after going to a family funeral in Cain’s hometown of Baton Rouge, La., which was hard hit by the virus.

“My family didn’t let me go down there because they didn’t want me risking myself getting it,” he said. “She had it for like a month. She went back and forth to the doctor. She kept testing positive over and over again.

“Everything they say about the virus, you lose your smell, you lose your taste, vomiting, stomach hurting, it’s a real thing. So that’s why I kind of take it as disrespectful when people aren’t taking it seriously, because it’s a real thing. I’ve seen what it can do. My cousin had blood clots from it.”

Fortunately for Cain, he said all his family members are doing better now.

“But that month-and-ahalf time frame, it was a difficult time,” he said.

Those experiences are what caused Cain’s hesitation over returning to State College. He mentioned all the people he would come in contact with while traveling.

Ultimately, though, he opted to go back to Penn State after discussing it with his parents. The isolation of central Pennsylvania played a big role.

“It was a difficult decision for me to come back just because of the fact that it’s so easy to get it from touching somebody, being in the same room as them, especially on a plane,” Cain said. “The best thing about being back in State College is it’s a small town, not many people are here, vs. the cities I was in.”

Cain said he spent most of his time away in Dallas and Arizona, trying to work out any way he could.

“It was hard for me to sit inside,” he said. “I don’t really like just sitting in a room. You can only sit in the house for so many days. Just being there for my mom and my cousin. It was an adjustment for me, just staring at the wall some days, not knowing what I’m going to do next.”