‘Horrible nightmare’: El Paso family of 4 infected with virus, father loses the fight
EL PASO, Texas -- It's been a long couple of weeks for Ana Gonzalez Guzman and her family, culminating with her husband Eddie losing his fight against Covid-19 and dying in an El Paso hospital.
Although her family’s story has a tragic ending, Ana hopes it will help the community understand the importance of following the public health orders.
"I feel like I'm in a dream, like I'm in a horrible nightmare," Ana said. “This virus is not over. I hope that people take to heart what has happened to my family and they will make better choices."
It started in April when Eddie's coworker tested positive for the coronavirus. Eddie came home that day and told his family to separate and wear masks inside the house.
The next day, Eddie began to feel sick and went to get tested. He didn't meet the Covid-19 testing criteria at the time and was sent home with sinus medication.
Then, Ana started feeling sick. She was tested, got positive results then immediately isolated herself in the living room. A plastic sheet hanging from the ceiling to the floor separated her from the rest of the family.
"It felt like not only just body aches, but it felt like I was on fire inside," Ana said.
Ana and Eddie's symptoms worsened and Ana drove herself to the hospital. She told the hospital staff about Eddie and was told he needed to go to the hospital immediately.
When Eddie got there, he was admitted. A few days later, Ana got a call from the hospital stating her husband had gone into cardiac arrest. She was able to speak with him.
"'You're going to be OK, God is with you. I love you,'” Ana told her frail husband. “He told me he loved me and that was the last time I heard my husband’s voice."
Eddie got sicker each day until one dreadful morning, Ana got the spine-chilling call. Eddie was dead.
"We felt that we were taking all precautions and he just got so sick so quick," Ana said. "And the most difficult part is that I had to break it to my 12-year-old son."
Ana, still trying to shield her family from any more tragedy, told her son his dad had died from across the room.
"It's bad enough that you need to tell your child that his did is not coming back, but because we are in isolation in our own home, I couldn't even hug him or comfort him and that was very, very difficult," the widow said in tears.
A few days later, Ana got the news her two children had also tested positive. Fortunately, they are asymptomatic and hopefully will remain so.
Ana has a GoFundMe account to help with expenses.
