To say it's been a crazy past few weeks for Nashville SC's David Accam and Daniel Rios would be an understatement.
Like all of us, Accam and Rios' lives have been turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic. But before that, each of them also had their homes severely damaged when the apartment complex they both lived in was torn apart by tornadoes in Tennessee that were some of the deadliest storms the country has seen in years. The two had to escape the building with Accam's wife, who is also pregnant, by pushing through a jammed door, where they were picked up by defender Taylor Washington, and had to move into hotels.
That would have been stressful enough, and with the current global pandemic obviously compounded the situation. In a Friday story in The Tennessean, Accam and Rios said they've moved into new apartments and are doing their best to take the wild course of events in stride.
"Personally, I wasn't really worried about myself," Accam told The Tennessean. "I was worried about my wife. She was more vulnerable because she is pregnant. So I was trying to do everything for her to be more comfortable and try to be healthy as well."
After going digging through his previous apartment with the help of Washington, Brian Anunga, Derrick Jones and team chaplain Billy Cervany, Accam and his wife eventually moved into a new apartment near Vanderbilt University. Rios just got a new place with his girlfriend on March 18 after a lengthy search .
"I was talking with my girlfriend and parents [before moving] and I said, 'I'mi in a hurry right now because this virus is coming and I don't have a home,'" Rios said. "Everyone was going to the grocery stores and I didn't have anywhere to put any food, so I couldn't go. I was in need and I had to find a home as soon as possible."
It's certainly been a trying time for the duo, but they've been working through it together, talking over FaceTime.
"His wife is pregnant and with the tornado situation and trying to find a home, it was harder for him than for me," Rios said. "After he moved in and he said everything was fine, I said, 'Okay, if you need anything in the future, you can tell me.'"
While it's been a stressful period, Accam said he was left with inspired by how the community has come together through the adversity.
"Everyone came together," he said. "I saw lots of people volunteering to clean stuff, to work. It felt really good and it shows the togetherness of this city. So far, it has brought a lot of togetherness for us in the team as well because when everything happened, I had calls, people trying to help me. It shows the caring nature of this team and also the city."
To check out the full story, head over to The Tennessean.
