Tragedy struck a California family after a mom and daughter both passed away from coronavirus on the same day.
Carolina Tovar, 86, and her daughter Letty Ramirez, 54, died hours apart on April 2, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“It felt like somebody kicked my stomach,” Ramirez’s 28-year-old daughter Alexis said. “It happened so quickly, nobody could believe it.”
The mother-and-daughter duo were described as inseparable.
On March 19, Ramirez was rushed to St. Jude Medical Center when her oxygen levels began depleting.
Her mother fell ill shortly after and was taken to the same hospital.
Ramirez was then diagnosed with diabetes and kidney failure and was moved to Providence St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California where she was placed on a ventilator.
At the time of their death, the mother and daughter duo were being treated at different hospitals.
As Tovar’s condition worsened, she refused to be put on a ventilator and said she was ready to go. The family respected her wishes and gathered and spent the night saying goodbye via Facetime.
“She was ready, and we prepared ourselves too,” Alexis revealed. “We were all still talking to her, telling her we loved her, that we’re going to be OK and she doesn’t have to fight anymore.”
The family barely had time to recover from the devastating loss when they got the call that Ramirez’s health was declining and a ventilator was no longer helping.
Alexis made the difficult decision to remove her mother from the machines. She died within minutes.
“It was just hard that we couldn’t be together to console one another,” Alexis said. “We couldn’t be there for [my mom] like she was there for us. We felt so powerless.”
Ramirez’s husband was also hospitalized after showing symptoms but he has been released and is recovering.
A GoFundMe was started on behalf of the family and has almost met its goal of $12,000.
“Imagine having tragedy strike your family due to Coronavirus not once but TWICE on the SAME DAY,” it read. “It is a position we would not wish upon our worse enemy.”
Since Ramirez was the family’s primary provider, many relatives are now facing “difficult financial hardships.”
“As I post this I think it is never a good or a right time to ask for help but right now if you can help this family in need we would be eternally grateful! We pray that God protects and keeps everyone safe and thank you our family to yours.”
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