Family plans social-distancing funeral for El Paso Psychiatric Center nurse who died from virus

EL PASO,Texas -- A Borderland family is now forced to plan funeral arrangements in the era of social distancing for 51-year-old Natividad Luevano, an El Paso Psychiatric Center staffer who died on April 14 after battling Covid-19.

"It just started out of the blue from one day he said I don’t feel good I have a headache and then it snowballed from there," said Luevano's sister Veronica Ramirez.

Luevano was a vocational nurse at the Psychiatric Center, where more than 40 other staff members and patients have tested positive for Covid-19. Family members say his mild symptoms began as just a common headache, but as symptoms got worse he sought medical attention.

"Here he started getting sick and they sent him home and told him to take Tylenol. He then called the hotline and they told him to get the test. From there, it was just getting worse and worse. They sent him oxygen and he passed a day or two after that," Ramirez said.

The family now has to come to grips with the fact that their final respects will have to be paid at a distance.

"Apart, we weren’t able to see him for over a month because of the Covid. Now we can’t say goodbye properly, we can’t have services and we have to stay six feet apart. He comes from a very big family and they are not being able to be a part of it. Very difficult for everyone," Ramirez said.

Luevano is described as a man with a great sense of humor who was very lovable and very giving, even described as a big teddy bear. He is survived by his four children, two step-children and two grandchildren.