First person to die of coronavirus in Indiana had to say goodbye to loved one via iPad
by: Nexstar Media Wire
Posted: Mar 17, 2020 / 04:29 PM EDT / Updated: Mar 17, 2020 / 04:30 PM EDT
Her name cannot be shared due to privacy laws, but doctors shared details of her final moments.
They said her significant other is also infected with COVID-19, so they could not be in the same room together. Instead, they had to say goodbye via iPad.
“What makes this really hard, is that this individual’s significant other was also infected, so the two of them could not be together when this patient passed. We had to do iPad conversing so the individuals could see each other. So that this individual did not die alone, one of our nurses stayed in the room with this person,” said Dr. Ram Yeleti, chief physician executive with Community Health Network.
Many people shared messages indicating that the woman was known to be kind and compassionate. Friends say they are shocked by the woman’s death. “She was just willing to go above and beyond to help anybody,” said Deanna Watkins, the woman’s longtime friend. “She was just such a vibrant person.”
https://www.wane.com/news/first-person-to-die-of-coronavirus-in-indiana-had-to-say-goodbye-to-loved-one-via-ipad/
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couple-- married nearly their whole life, she with severe lung disease and now positive for COVID-19, having to say their goodbyes in the ER before she's whisked to isolation, knowing this will be the end. Tears all around. He's not allowed to go upstairs (unlike the upscale Medical shows like HOUSE, most hospitals do not have spacious negative pressure isolation rooms with full banks of glass looking on). All they can do is talk via phone and staff do find a way to let that happen, but soon she'll be intubated and unable to speak. He'll be left to speak to her and if they can find a way to keep her phone charged, maybe Facetime for her last few hours.
