Jimmie Allen and wife recount 1-year-old daughter’s health battle with RSV: ‘worst nightmare’

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Country music singer Jimmie Allen and his wife Alexis are speaking out about their 1-year-old’s health battle.

The couple’s daughter Zara James was diagnosed with RSV, Respiratory syncytial virus, weeks after she was born in October 2021, according to People magazine.

Alexis revealed that she discovered her baby girl "started sounding and looking different," and things "just didn’t seem right," she explained in an interview with the media outlet.

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After alerting her husband, they made the decision to bring Zara to the hospital to get her checked out.

Country music singer Jimmie Allen and his wife Alexis are speaking out about their 1-year-old’s health battle. (Getty Images)

"When we went to the hospital, they just told us that it was just a common cold and to go home, do some home remedies, and basically get baby cuddles in, and it would be OK," Alexis detailed. 

The country star’s wife added that she noticed their daughter wasn’t recovering and then called 911 the next night. 

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"They turned me away and said that she looked fine and that it was probably just a cold," Alexis remarked. 

Zara James, the daughter of Jimmie Allen and his wife Alexis, was diagnosed with RSV, weeks after she was born in October 2021. (Getty Images)

She continued to get candid about her daughter’s health concerns and said she went to the pediatrician to help find a treatment for her newborn. A medical professional then diagnosed Zara with RSV.

"They described to us that basically, with RSV, it gets worse before it gets better. So, we were about day five, and usually about day seven or eight is when they start to turn the corner and seem a little better," Alexis noted.

According to the CDC, RSV "is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms" and "can be serious, especially for infants and older adults."

The couple recalled another frightening incident involving their baby girl during Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2021.

On the tour bus, Alexis described that her daughter "went completely blue and just completely out of it, limp."

"I don't want to say that she went unconscious, but she was not there. Her body just went out, and we had to wait for the ambulance to pick us up and take us to the hospital."

Singer Jimmie Allen took to Instagram to post a video explaining their daughter’s health battle. (Photo by Jason Kempin)

More than a year later, Jimmie confirmed that Zara’s health is "good now" and that "you wouldn’t even know" she went through a serious illness.

Jimmie and Alexis are telling their story as part of their involvement with Knowing RSV – an organization with a mission to spread awareness and educate parents on the health condition. 

The 37-year-old country music singer took to Instagram to post a video explaining their daughter’s health battle.

"I didn’t know anything about RSV. Now, I know to look for signs," Jimmie said while holding his baby girl. 

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"I can tell you it’s scary, especially when it comes to infants." 

He continued to recount his parenting experience on his social media platform.

"When Lexi called me last year to tell me that Zara had been rushed to the hospital with severe respiratory syncytial virus (#RSV) – I felt helpless. I had never heard of RSV. All I knew was that as a parent, this was my worst nightmare."

Jimmie continued to say that RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization for babies under the age of 1.

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He added that he and his wife joined forces with Sanofi to "help educate and empower other parents about this highly contagious virus."

"I’ll never forget that time in the hospital with Zara, and with winter virus season here, and RSV cases recently on the rise, now more than ever it’s important to bring attention to RSV," Jimmie concluded in his post with information links about the health condition.