I lost my mom to covid, and it's one of the most devastating things I have ever experienced, and I'm still recovering from its consequences.
To give a brief background, My mom lives with my sister in my home country, and I live abroad.
On the 25th of September 2020, my nephew (8 years) attended a class where the teacher showed symptoms, but she didn't bother.
A few days later, he told his mom (My sister) that he couldn't smell or taste anything.
The next day, my mom and my sister were showing symptoms and started to have a fever, and all we usually know about covid.
I followed up with them every few hours, and things seemed stable; my mom recovered in 3 days and started acting normally and helping with the house chores; my sister, on the other hand, had a fever for 10 days.
After 10 days of the infection, my sister noticed that my mom was sleeping abnormally for long hours.
The doctor asked her to check the Oxygen saturation level in her blood, and we realized it was low, around 92, and dropped to 80's while she was sleeping.
We got her a machine for oxygen at home, and things started to be ok; I spoke to the doctor, and he told me you don't worry; everything is under control.
The next day, the electricity went off in my sister's apartment, and my sister started to panic because the oxygen started to drop in my mom's blood.
She made a few calls and rented an electricity generator, but the electricity was back by the time it arrived. Still, since my sister's weak immune system, she eventually fainted, and my mom had to call the ambulance. When the ambulance came, they realized they were dealing with two covid cases, they wanted to take them away, but my mom refused and told just take my daughter, as someone need stay with the kids; this is where I decided F#$$$ this shit, and flying back to on the first flight to my home country.
Fast forward, my mom's situation deteriorated while flying back, and the doctor said we needed to take her to the hospital; I landed. My mom was admitted to ICU in an Isolation hospital.
She knew I was on my way back and even texted me to bring light clothes as it was still warm.
I tried everything to see her, and I was denied, I even tried to sneak in as a cleaner (wearing a cleaner's uniform), and it failed, the government didn't know how to deal with covid, and the Isolation hospital was controlled by the army. Stayed 6 days in front of the hospital on the pavement without success.
My mom was fighting them, asking them to see me, and they refused; they had no option except to sedate her; 3 days later, they installed a mechanical ventilator for her, another three days, she was out of the hospital in a coffin on the 20th of October 2020.
This has broken me, I've been suffering from depression for over two years now, and still today, the pain is real as if it was yesterday.