Louisville family worries about daughter on global study abroad trip, as coronavirus spreads

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Louisville student's trip affected by coronavirus

WHAS-TV Louisville

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As concerns continue to grow around the country over the coronavirus, a Louisville family has concerns of their own as their daughter is hundreds of miles away from home on a trip gone wrong.

Kylie Menish is on a Semester at Sea trip, where over 500 students study for a few months, while traveling the world on a cruise ship.

"A trip of a lifetime and she's looked forward to it a long time. Unfortunately coronavirus is throwing some wrenches into it and they're having to miss several ports along the way," Bill Menish, Kylie's father said.

Kylie's parents, Bill and Dorothy, never imagined Kylie's trip would be impacted by a virus.

"It's just being unsure about what the future holds for this journey is probably the part that makes us the most nervous," Bill said.

For Kylie, a Louisville native and University of Cincinnati student, it's meant missing dream destinations.

"They didn't go to India. They didn't go to China. They didn't go to Malaysia," Dorothy said.

Dorothy said her daughter and other students were disappointed at first, as the program began cancelling trips to countries out of precaution. Her ship also had to remain at sea for 14 days looking for a port.

"They didn't understand with widespread, like just how bad it was," Dorothy said.

Now, Bill and Dorothy, said Kylie understands the concerns.

"She has severe asthma," Dorothy said. "So we worry because if she gets sick, she's one of those high-risk patients and if she does, we don't know what we would do."

Bill and Dorothy said the program has made the right decisions along the way, choosing to prioritize the students' safety.

"We haven't heard this, there's no reason to believe this but you can't help but be a little bit afraid they get quarantined along the way," Bill said.

But as Kylie continues to enjoy her travels, Bill and Dorothy are looking to the bright side.

"Look how lucky we are in this day and age where we can do video chat with her and we can text and we can call. That really puts parents at ease when you're going through this very difficult situation. We're getting updates every single day from her," Bill said.

The Menish's say fears over COVID-19 are causing a lot of uncertainty. The family already bought tickets to travel Italy with Kylie after she wraps up her semester in April. They said they're not sure if that trip will be able to happen, depending on the situation with the coronavirus globally by then.