First Aida died, then days later her husband, Pat, died as well. One of their sons says the hardest part was not being able to be next to them. The virus forces people to stay apart.
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Pat and Aida Guzman were the kind of people that everyone considered family. Their son, Ivan, has heard that from a lot of people lately.
"Just getting stories from people that they considered my dad and my mom, their grandpa and their grandma," said Ivan Guzman.
The couple, who were in their mid-70s, made a trip to the store. Not long after, Aida became sick and things progressed quickly.
"It was very surreal and then it happened very, very quick," Guzman recalled. "It was, 'Hey, mom's in the hospital.' A day or two later, she's now passed."
Aida died on March 25th. Soon after, Pat became very sick. He passed away on April 2nd.
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"Not being able to see them or hold their hands or say a final goodbye or even give last rites, is the most difficult part in all of this," Guzman went on to say. "When you die of COVID-19, you die alone."
Thanks to the hospital staff, Ivan was able to be on the phone with his father in his final moments.
"I wanted to make sure we stayed on the phone and listened to the doctors try to do everything they can. So we were with him. We were there in the final moments as he passed on to be with God," he said.
Now Aida and Pat are together. Their time on earth, forever remembered by the lives they touched.
"It's a tragedy that this happened, but I've just seen an outpouring of support and just really, just how much of an impact my family had to so many people," Guzman said.