A pair of a couple from Texas that has been married for 53 years passed away together while holding hands. The two of them died on June 18 because of COVID-19.
Betty and Curtis Tarpley went to the same high schools in Illinois and fell in love in California when they are adults. The two of them got married and have two children.
According to their son, Tim Tardley, his mother who is 80 years old was already sick for a few days when he took her to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth. She then was tested positive COVID-19.
She was admitted to the hospital on June 9 while her 79 years old husband was on June 11. Betty’s condition worsen and she called Tim and her daughter Tricia to tell that she ‘was ready to go’.
When Tim and his sister visit her mother for the first time, she was heavily medicated and did not quite know they were there.
On the second time of the visit, Betty was alert and even cracking jokes with them. But Tim said it can be seen that his mother was feeling uncomfortable. The doctors then told them that she did not have much time.
Tim said he called his father to inform him about his mother’s condition. After getting the news from his kids, Curtis oxygen levels plummeted.
“I really feel like he like he was fighting because he was supposed to and once he knew she wasn’t gonna make it, then he was okay with, you know, taking it to the house,” he said.
“I think he fought because he thought the team needed him, but he was also tired and he was in pain,” added Tim.
A nurse then arranged for both of his parents to be together for one last time by giving them heavy doses of medication to ease their pain.
“It felt like the right thing to do was to get them together,” said one of the ICU nurses, Blake Throne.
When another nurse said to Curtis that his wife was beside him, he tried to look over at her but he was very weak.
“His eyes opened and his eyebrows went up,” Throne added. Throne then put Betty’s hand on Curtis’ arm. In just an hour, Betty passed away after about 20 minutes and followed by Curtis about 45 minutes later.
Source: CNN