My 89 year old Auntie Agrofina Milagros Romero Alonzo died of covid last Friday. She was alone in the ICU because nobody was allowed to visit her. Her nurse held up a phone so that we could all say goodbye to her via Facetime. Now we are planning a Zoom funeral. She will be cremated this week and we will be allowed to bring her ashes back to the Philippines and placed in the cemetery where all the Romeros are buried next year (hopefully) — as long as there is a vaccine and travel restrictions are lifted.
She tested positive for covid-19 three weeks ago even though she has been in quarantine since early March. She contracted the virus from her daughter, my cousin, who lives with her and is her main caregiver. Her daughter contracted the virus from the doctor’s office in Las Vegas where she works — and as you know, Nevada is a hotspot for the pandemic right now. Frontline workers are putting their lives and the lives of their loved ones at risk every single day because people refuse to follow even the mildest stay-at-home orders.
After Auntie tested positive, her health began deteriorating rapidly. She began losing weight because of not eating. She developed a high fever and flu-like symptoms. She was admitted to the hospital and put on a ventilator. Then her kidneys failed and her lungs filled up with fluid, which is what ended up killing her.
This is her obituary.
Take this pandemic seriously.
That’s all I have to say.
Agrofina Milagros Estebal Romero Alonzo: JUNE 22, 1931 – JULY 10, 2020
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