(CNN) – Daniel and Davy Macias spent 18 months being very cautious with the covid-19.
They cleaned the surfaces, showered after work and even brought them shopping, but that didn’t stop them from getting the virus.
Davy Macias, a nurse from part of Southern California, was seven months pregnant with her fifth child in early August when she was hospitalized with covid-19. Daniel Macias also contracted the virus.
Doctors helped 37-year-old Davy Macias give birth in advance by cesarean section while she was intubated, but she died before she could meet her baby.
Daniel Macias, 38, was being treated at the same hospital when he learned of the birth of his daughter. The nurses showed him photos of the baby, before he too died of virus complications less than two weeks later, leaving the newborn girl without parents or a name.
Daniel and Davy Macias with their four children. A fifth, a baby girl, was born after both parents were hospitalized for covid-19.
When the hospital called to ask for the baby’s name, Terry Macias, the grandmother who now cares for the five children, told them, “I’ll wait for my son to name her.”
She doesn’t have a name yet. For now, as the hospital did, the family calls her Baby Girl.
Grandma tells death to young children
Davy and Daniel were not vaccinated and died Aug. 26 and Sept. 9, respectively, leaving their children between 3 weeks and 8 years old orphaned, Macias told CNN Monday.
“It’s not that they didn’t want to get vaccinated, they planned it,” he said. She insisted it was a personal choice and that everyone wanted to learn more about their safety before being inoculated.
Terry Macias, a retired kindergarten teacher, believes his son and daughter-in-law contracted the coronavirus after a recent family trip to a covered water park as a last walk before returning to school.
Upon learning of his death, Macias had to tell his grandchildren. The 8-year-old and the 5-year-old understood that their parents were gone, she said, but she is not sure they understand that her parents will never return home.
The couple’s 3-year-old daughter woke up on Thursday and told Macias she had dreamed her father was back home from the hospital, but later learned that her father had died.
The girl began to cry when she learned of the news, reminding her grandmother of her dream.
“I know baby, but sometimes, our dreams don’t come true,” Macias said.
The couple sold their home before the pandemic
Davy and Daniel Macias sold their home just before the pandemic closed normal life and the family lived with Daniel’s parents.
Terry Macias described his daughter-in-law as artistic and creative. He loved to keep the kids busy with crafts and activities, often inviting kids from the neighborhood to join.
Her son, a high school math teacher, was someone she called “the perfect.” Macias said he always had a smile on his face and that he liked everyone, as evidenced by the large amount of support, specifically from his school community.
“In my heart, I always knew he was the perfect guy. Seeing others feel the same way feels like a validation,” he said. “They loved their children more than anything.”
The family remains dismayed by the sudden loss of Davy and Daniel Macias.
“We didn’t see it coming,” Terry Macias said through tears. “The covid doesn’t discriminate. It’s the luck of the draw and it can happen to anyone.”