Lake Elsinore man posts warning on Facebook day before dying of COVID-19

LAKE ELSINORE (CBSLA) Like many others, Facebook was where Tommy Macias, 51, shared the best moments of his life, a life full of family and fun.

“My uncle published a lot on Facebook,” said Danielle López, Macías’ niece. “She liked to keep all her friends up-to-date there.

And it was on Facebook that Macías shared his regret and reached an agreement with his COVID-19 diagnosis on June 20.

“Due to my stupidity, I endangered the health of my mother and my sisters and my family,” he wrote. “This is not a joke. If you have to go out, wear a mask and practice social distancing. Hopefully, with God’s help, I can survive this. I love you all.”

The next day, the Lake Elsinore man known for his big hats and his even bigger smile was dead.

“It was a total and total shock for all of us,” said Lopez.

He said his uncle had been very careful for months, wearing masks and staying home, but when things started to reopen, he said he went to a party in the backyard of a friend’s house where no one was wearing masks.

Days later, a guest tested positive for coronavirus, followed soon after by Macías. López said his first and last thoughts were those to which he could have exposed.

“I hate to think that he was worrying about all of us and that he may have infected someone in our family, although he didn’t,” he said.

Macías, who was at increased risk due to diabetes, called his mother on the morning of June 21 to tell her that she couldn’t breathe. Macías was rushed to the hospital where he died hours later, and three days after learning that he had COVID-19.

Now her niece has taken up what she left behind, begging others to learn of her heartbreaking loss.

“Everyone needs to take it seriously, regardless of what they believe, what they feel,” López said. “Wearing a mask to be in a grocery store for a couple of minutes is not going to hurt you, but it will protect many other people.”

López said that as of Thursday, no one else in the family had tested positive for the virus.

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