Sara Montoya , a mother from Texas who contracted SARS-CoV-2 posted a video on Facebook urging people to take COVID-19 seriously and protect themselves by wearing face masks, shortly before dying from the virus. This is her story.
The mother of three was a stay-at-home mom and had only left home for "the essentials, such as groceries, cleaning, supplies, etc." but she, her husband and father-in-law contracted coronavirus in late June.
The 43-year-old woman felt ill and thought she had a "simple sinus infection", but when it got worse, she visited a local hospital where doctors sent her home because she had no symptoms of the disease and was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection.
However, Montoya was not satisfied with her diagnosis and visited a facility where they were testing for COVID-19 and, while waiting for her results, she developed "unbearable fevers" and her husband called an ambulance.
On July 1, she was admitted to hospital, where she was confirmed positive for COVID-19, and two days later, her husband was also hospitalized.
At first, Montoya only needed oxygen and that's when he filmed his video warning others to take COVID-19 seriously.
"Never in my life did I think I'd be struggling to breathe, something we take for granted every day when we wake up. Please don't put your families at risk. I did the best I thought I could. It's not worth it. mask. Don't go out if you don't have to, "he warned.
"I have fought too much to have the life I have now and I refuse to give up. I miss my children, I miss my husband […] With the grace of God I will leave this hospital. I don't know when, but I will," he added.
Although she only required oxygen for the first part of her 44-day stay, she eventually had to be intubated, something that worried her family.
"It was one of the most difficult things to see my mother with all those tubes coming out of her mouth and chest. There were times when her face was so swollen that her eyes were tightly closed," Jasmin Chávez , her daughter, told TODAY.
His family was in contact with the hospital's care team and soon learned that doctors had few treatment options for Montoya, who lost his life on August 13.
According to his family's statements, Montoya had no underlying conditions and now they want others to learn from his experience and take the disease seriously.
"People should take this virus seriously and continue to stay home if they can," Chávez said.
The family also created a GoFundMe profile to raise money to cover unexpected expenses for Sara's funeral. Meanwhile, Chávez urges others to keep wearing a mask, as experts have warned that we should wear it for at least a year, wash our hands, and only leave the house when necessary.
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