They cleaned the surfaces, showered after work and even delivered their groceries, but that didn’t stop them from getting the virus.
Davy Macias, a working nurse and childbirth in 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 to the baby early 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 complications from the virus less than two weeks later, leaving the newborn unborn without a parent or name.
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 put it on.”
She has not yet been named. For now, as the hospital did, the family calls her Baby Girl.
Grandma tells death to young children
The couple was not vaccinated and died Aug. 26 and Sept. 9, respectively, leaving children between 3 weeks and 8 years old, Macias told CNN Monday.
“It wasn’t that they didn’t want to get vaccinated; they planned it,” he said. He stated that this was a personal choice and that everyone wanted to learn more about their safety before being inoculated.
Terry Macias, a former kindergarten teacher who recently retired, believes his son and daughter-in-law contracted the coronavirus after a recent family trip to an indoor water park as a last hurray before returning to the school.
When finding out its death, Macias was the one in charge to explain it to its grandsons. Macias said the 8-year-old boy and the 5-year-old girl understood that their parents had left, but she is not sure she understands that her parents will never return home.
The couple’s 3-year-old daughter woke up Thursday and told Macias she had a dream that her father would return home from the hospital, but later learned that her father had died.
The little boy burst into tears when he heard the news, reminding his grandmother of his dream.
“I know baby, but sometimes our dreams don’t come true,” Macias said.
A 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 Macias’ 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 neighborhood kids to join him outside.
His son, a high school math teacher, was someone he called “the perfect.” Macias said he always had a smile on his face and that he liked everyone, as evidenced by the outpouring of support, specifically from his school community.
“In my heart, I always knew he was the perfect guy. Seeing others feel the same way seems to validate me,” he said. “They loved their children more than anything.”
The family continues to be shocked by the sudden loss of Davy and Daniel Macias.
“We didn’t see it coming,” Terry Macias said with tears in his eyes. “Covid doesn’t discriminate. It’s the luck of the draw and it can happen to anyone.”