People are utilizing technology to connect during this chaotic time.
A New York woman named Maura Lewinger was deeply impacted by the coronavirus when it claimed the life of her husband Joe. During a conversation with CNN, Lewinger explained how she was able to spend her last moments with Joe thanks to Apple's FaceTime.
"I thanked him for being the most amazing husband, for making me feel cherished and loved every single day," she said. Then, as her husband was fading away, she played a sentimental song for him.
"I played our wedding song for him. And then that was it," she said. "So I was with him when he passed."
The 42-year-old's bout with COVID-19 started with mild symptoms. His low-grade fever got more severe around St. Patrick's Day leading to respiratory issues. This forced him to seek medical attention. While he was in the hospital, Maura said she FacetTimed him constantly so that he wouldn't feel alone.
When his health started to take a turn for the worse, Maura waited at their home in Long Island where she played their wedding song on a loop hoping that the doctors' attempts to save his life were successful. The physicians eventually called her again and allowed them to share Joe's final moments together.
"He always had a listening ear, no matter what you were talking about, Joe was always listening. He always felt like you were the most important person in the room," she said. "He always took care of me, got me my coffee and helped me in every way."
Lewinger hopes that by sharing her story people will take social distancing more seriously.
"People are just not being careful. People are being so invincible-feeling and they think it can’t happen to them," she said. "You cannot, cannot, be with people that are not in your house. As sad and lonely and everything that is, you must, must stay with only the people in your house."
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Lewinger and their children Jack, Madison, and Maeve. As of Wednesday, there has been more than $90,000 in donations.
