My husband had been battling congestive heart failure for several years. When Covid emerged as a pandemic, he was very serious about following guidance and recommendations. He wore his mask all the time in public, and got the first and second shots as soon as they were available in early 2021.

Early August of 2021 he began having problems related to CHF. On 8/10 we called an ambulance to evaluate him, and the paramedics felt he had pneumonia. He was taken to Shands Hospital by ambulance, and found at the ER to be Covid negative. Due to the high rates of hospital admissions of those who were positive to Covid, he spent 3 days in the ER with no food. This is where I believe he and I (also fully vaccinated) caught Covid.

He was finally admitted to a room in the cardiac wing where he began treatment for CHF. The hospital was working on transferring him to a rehab facility when he developed a wheeze and cough they couldn’t treat. He tested positive for Covid on 8/19. At that point he was isolated from me and our daughter. The few times I was allowed to speak to him on the phone he was disoriented and later unable to speak at all, only able to yell “hey!”

The doctor told me on 8/20 they were going to administer Remdesivir. The doctor also told me they obtained consent from my husband to intubate him if necessary and perform cpr. He received Remdesivir 8/20, 8/21, and 8/22. On 8/22 the doctor called me to advise they were going to intubate him. They called me later that day to tell me he went into cardiac arrest twice due to the procedure and they performed cpr to get his heart beating again. He was on the ventilator until 8/26 when they felt they could remove the tube. On 8/27 the doctor called to tell me they needed to intubate him again.

The doctor also said my husband needed to begin kidney dialysis but I refused to provide consent without more information. Early 8/28 the doctor called to tell me my husband would likely pass away. Intubation caused him to go into profound shock. I had to demand our daughter and I be allowed entry to see him before he died. The doctor waffled on it because he had only been isolated 9 days rather than 10,  but relented.

Our son, who is currently active duty Navy and was on a deployment, was being returned to the US to see his dad before he died. Our son made it as close as San Diego, but didn’t make it home to Florida in time. When my daughter and I got to the hospital my husband looked like a torture victim. His arms were severely swollen due to meds administered to keep his blood pressure up.

The doctor asked me if I wanted the vent removed, and that made me angry. I said, “no, y’all said he had to have it to breathe, so he is not going to suffocate to death!” My husband did let me know he knew we were both there through movements, and I got our son on speakerphone so he had his whole family with him on his last day. I consulted with my daughter in law, who is a RN, and she recommended palliative care, because of the critical condition he was in. He died with my daughter and me by his bedside.

For months I believed he was killed by Covid, but I now believe he was killed due to the Covid protocols. We were married for 42 years and losing him this way has devastated our family.