Quarantined, symptomatic — and counting blessings in Center Moriches

A Center Moriches man who tested positive for coronavirus said quarantine with his family has made him feel grateful for what he has in his life.

Christopher Yackel, who has been quarantined since March 9 with his wife, Rosanne, a cousin and the cousin’s son, said modern amenities like running water, Netflix and food delivery have kept him from “going too stir-crazy.”

Yackel said he is “blessed” to have friends, family and neighbors who have gone out of their way to help his family survive at least two weeks of quarantine.

A next-door neighbor dropped off bagels and coffee. Another neighbor made a care package of Legos, art sets and M&Ms for the 8-year-old quarantined with them. A longtime friend picked up groceries for them, even when the supermarket shelves were practically empty.

“Our community really comes together with stuff like this,” Yackel, 47, said.

Those friends said their efforts speak to how community-oriented Center Moriches is. And that people overall are “good to their core.”

“People want to do whatever they can to help people in need,” said Marie Calise, 53, of Manorville, who dropped off groceries. She said the Yackels would do the same thing for others.

Christopher Yackel, who works in medical sales, said he began feeling ill after coming home from the Empire Medical Training Show at the Westin Times Square earlier this month. Another attendee later tested positive for the virus, according to news reports.

Yackel said he felt like he had a “mild version of the flu.” His fever, which tended to come on in the afternoons, never rose above 100.7. He had a dry cough, shortness of breath, chills, night sweats and some aches.

On March 2, his doctor tested him for the flu, which came back negative, and told him to rest. Yackel continued to work but often left early because of his returning fever. A subsequent CT scan showed he had nodules in his lungs, but Yackel said that might have been exacerbated by his work to renovate a foreclosed home that had mold. 

Yackel said he finally got tested for coronavirus on March 9 — after a week of symptoms — because his doctor’s office in Patchogue had received a limited number of testing kits. The quarantine began that day.

His test results came back positive on Friday the 13th.

Rosanne Yackel has developed some symptoms, her husband said. Her test results are pending. She had helped organize community events after the Jan. 17 death of Thomas Valva, 8, who police say was forced to sleep by his father and stepmother in a freezing Center Moriches garage.

The cousin and cousin’s son are currently asymptomatic.

Yackel, who said he is feeling better after taking Tylenol and drinking lots of fluids, said he and his relatives have notified everyone they’ve been in contact with and local officials that they tested positive. They have also taken to Facebook to encourage others to avoid spreading the virus.

They have passed the time playing cards and board games and watching TV. “It’s a good thing for Netflix,” Christopher Yackel said while noting that the cancellation of sports has been tough.

And they will be celebrating Rosanne Yackel’s 44th birthday in quarantine next week, her husband said.

“We’ve asked the department of health if they can bring a birthday cake,” Yackel said. “They laughed. Well, we can’t go out and get her a cake or something!”

By Rachelle Blidner

rachelle.blidner@newsday.com@rachelleblidner

Rachelle Blidner covers Suffolk County government, politics and breaking news.