Chris Cuomo Reacts To Wife Cristina's Coronavirus Diagnosis
As CNN anchor Chris Cuomo continues to rethink his role at the cable news network in the midst of his coronavirus diagnosis, the famed journalist revealed that his wife, Cristina Greeven, also tested positive for the virus. "Cristina now has COVID," Cuomo told his brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, on his show Cuomo Prime Time on April 15, 2020. "She is now positive and it just breaks my heart. It is the one thing I was hoping wouldn't happen, and now it has."
"It's very hard for a person to quarantine in a home and other people not to get infected," Governor Cuomo responded. "..[T]hat virus can live on some surfaces up to two days, so in some ways this was inevitable... This is what families are dealing with, right?" He added, "...[Y]ou're communicating to Americans what this is like."
"Families all over know the reality our family faces: few are one case and done," Greeven's husband later tweeted. "Sure enough, Cristina has covid now. Kids are still healthy but this shook us at our literal core. All are stepping up. Can't wait to shake this fever so I can help her as she helped me. Sucks."
Although Cuomo self-quarantined in his family's basement, the anchor feared he'd ultimately transfer his illness to his wife or children in the process. However, Cuomo seems to be taking his wife's diagnosis a bit harder than Greeven herself.
Chris Cuomo's been 'a little bit of a mess' since his wife tested positive for coronavirus
Despite his own setbacks, Chris Cuomo admitted that wife Cristina Greeven's coronavirus diagnosis has affected him more than her. "The person who's not upset is Cristina," Cuomo explained on his nightly news show Cuomo Prime Time (via TODAY). "Cristina takes everything in stride and so far we're hoping, and a lot of this is anecdotal because we don't know that much, she lost her sense of smell and taste. This is not science, but anecdotally the case that I hear about that are more mild tend to have that. I didn't have that."
Up until now, Greeven has been caring for Cuomo and their three children as he recovers from the virus. As founder and editor of The Purist, Greeven's put her background in health and wellness to good use as she worked to nurse Cuomo back to health. "I put together sort of a clean diet that didn't put stress on his liver, and I didn't want to tax his bodily functions so that all the energy was focused on digesting fatty foods... food that builds energy," she told Extra. "So, you need a lot of soups, lentil soup, chicken soups, legumes, vegetable soups, which are always good when someone is sick."
It sounds like Greeven did a wonderful job taking care of her husband.
Chris Cuomo's wife took precautions against the virus
Some people might be wondering how Cristina Greeven managed to take such good care of Chris Cuomo while protecting herself from the virus. The editor provided insight in an April 13, 2020, interview with Extra's Billy Bush, explaining that they were able to maintain a safe distance from one another because Cuomo has been hunkered down in the family's basement. "I stand at the top of the stairs and there's a landing there," she said. "I put a food tray down ... I have my gloves and mask. He comes to the stairs and we hang out."
Greeven, who struggled with Lyme disease earlier in life, said about the tricky situation, "It's sort of like day to day you wake up and pray you don't have it that day."
Unfortunately, it looks like the mom's fears came true despite the precautions she took.
Chris Cuomo's wife shared a prophetic message for the new year
At the start of 2020, Cristina Greeven published a seemingly prophetic blog post about her words of wisdom for the new year. "Go with the flow this upcoming year," she wrote. "It's never too late to believe in things that are bigger than ourselves." Considering Greeven's health predicament was completely unexpected, it fair to reason her life is all about "going with the flow" right now.
She also challenged the stereotypical ideas of happiness, writing, "In the field of positive psychology, the concept of 'flow' suggests something quite different: the idea that real contentment comes from being so fully immersed in what we are doing we cease to be aware of our own existence." She continued, "The idea that the best moments in our lives aren't passive, relaxing times, such as getting a massage, but instead come when we stretch our mind and body to their limits, runs counter to commonly accepted ideas of what will make us happy."
We're not sure if Greeven will find a silver lining in her family's struggle, although it's clear she has a ton of support to see her through these tough times. We wish both her and Chris well.