LAKE ELSINORE, California – After months of isolation, truck driver Tommy Macias, 51, made a mistake that cost him his life. He went to a barbecue party with some friends.
I didn’t know that someone who had tested positive for COVID-19, but showed no symptoms, was also there.
“Everything was avoidable,” said Gustavo López, Macías’ 52-year-old brother-in-law. “That person knew that he had a crown and he still did. I should have known better, and that mistake cost (Macías) his life. “
More than 10 people who attended that meeting tested positive for the coronavirus, López said.
According to Macías’ family members, the Lake Elsinore man had practiced social distancing, limited his external interactions, and wore a mask every time he went out. But as the restraints were slowly lifted, the proud driver of the big platform who “could never stay still in his life” felt safe going out again.
As first reported by Valley News, Macías became ill on June 15, but assumed it was caused by his diabetes. Then it tested positive for COVID-19.
López immediately feared the worst.
“Everyone knew it wasn’t going to end well,” he said. “There was a high probability that it would not succeed.”
The day before his death, on June 21, Macías posted a warning on Facebook, urging people to wear a mask and practice social distancing. His final message was one of repentance.
“Due to my stupidity, I endangered the health of my mother and my sisters and my family,” the publication reads. “Don’t be a … idiot like me.”
Macías’s sister, Norma Macias Norris, 53, respected how her brother took full responsibility.
“It’s just who he is. He wanted to make sure he didn’t want anyone to continue in anger, “he said.
At first, Macías seemed to be recovering during the week after he suddenly fell ill, giving his family hope. But that Sunday morning, it had gotten worse. He called his mother and his three sisters to say that he couldn’t breathe.
“I could hear it in his voice, I was terrified,” said Macías Norris.
Macías Norris ran to his brother’s house, just five minutes from his, but it was too late. The ambulance attendants had stuffed him inside and closed the doors.
He followed them to the hospital but was told that he could not stay.
“No one was allowed to be with him. All I wanted to do was sit by his bed, “he said. “I spoke to him on the phone that day. He was breathing and crying a lot, but his last words to me were ‘I want to go home, sister, I want to go home, sister.’ “
In 10 hours, Macías was put on a ventilator to try to increase his oxygen consumption.
At 9 p.m., Macías Norris received a call from the hospital with the news that his brother had died. The Riverside County Coroner’s Office confirmed that Macías’ death was related to COVID-19.
Macías’ niece, Danielle López, 28, was devastated by the news. I hadn’t seen her in months, but she frequently texted and called her uncle.
She would never forget her “big laugh” that could be heard from the other side of the house and her huge smile, she said. And in the days after her death, friends and family approached her offering help because they knew that Macías, who called them every week, would have done the same for them.
At this time last year, Lopez said, he would spend the afternoons having a barbecue with his family or relaxing on a boat on Lake Elsinore.
López’s family in Mission Viejo was already preparing to move to the area to be closer to Macías.
Macías Norris, who was excited that her family would be united a year after her father’s death, was heartbroken that her brother would not be present for that.
“It will be difficult to drive these streets. The city no longer feels the same, “he said.
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