(News)
– It was a farewell that probably cost him his life, and it was worth it. So says the family of Sam Reck, a 90-year-old Florida man who died Aug. 1 from COVID-19 – who he probably contracted when he said a final goodbye to his wife JoAnn three weeks in advance. Both died of the disease at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center. His daughter tells the Ledger that “he knew the risks. There could not have been any of us to tell him about it. He would have seen him there in some way around them.” And his son wrote on Facebook that he specifically asked his father if he regretted trying after learning he had COVID. “Not one second,” was his reply. “He said that despite what was happening, he was very happy that he had the chance to say goodbye and hold her hand one more time.”
Indeed, WTSP reports video of her last visit shared by the family shows that Sam dressed in PPE said to Joann, “I’m long to finally hold your hand after all these months.” De Ledger reports Reck’s dedication to his wife was previously reported in the pandemic: The two lived in adjacent facilities in Lakeland. JoAnn, 86, was suffering from dementia and Sam spent his entire day in her room. That practice was forced to end when the state suspended visits to nursing homes, but the staff helped Sam continue to see JoAnn several times a week: They coordinated the couple’s schedule and locations, so Sam on his 2nd story balcony could be while JoAnn was sitting in a dining room below him. They were dubbed “Romeo and Juliet” as a result. Read on Ledger’s article here in full. (Read more stories of coronavirus.)
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