Sam and Sandra Philips of Carrollton arrived home Monday from Mexico about two weeks later than planned and with a lesson for other travelers.
A three-day trip to go to a wedding trip to Cancun ended up lasting 16 days.
The wedding was April 25, but they didn't get to go -- that's because they got tested for COVID-19 before the ceremony.
They thought it was just a formality, a requirement to re-enter the United States.
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But Sandra Philips tested positive, and that was a surprise.
"I've always felt fine,” she said. “I didn't have any symptoms at all."
He didn't have any symptoms either -- at first. But that quickly changed.
"I couldn't breathe,” he said. “It was terrible. But at the end of the day we're glad to be back home."
They tried to stay in seclusion at the resort where managers couldn’t have treated them any nicer, they said.
"Immediately they put us in quarantine and took care of us for the 14 days,” Sandra Philips said.
But soon, Sam Philips’ condition worsened.
"It feels like asthma,” he said. “It feels like breathing through a straw."
Get vaccinated. Think globally about what you want to do.
Sam Phillips
And then, what started as a quick trip to the beach -- turned into a trip to the hospital.
"Ended up at a Mexican hospital,” he said. “I'm glad to be back home. Extremely grateful. Extremely grateful."
Sam Philips was released from the hospital after a day and a half.
After serving the full quarantine, they were both cleared to return home. And they want others to learn from their experience.
They did not get vaccinated before they went to Mexico and now regret it.
"Get vaccinated,” Sam Philips said. “Think globally about what you want to do. That was our mistake. When you make a mistake, admit it."
"Definitely get vaccinated or stay home,” Sandra Philips said.
