A viral video shows a nurse’s final, heartbreaking message to his family mere hours before he died of COVID-19.
Sergio Hernandez has been on the frontlines of the pandemic in Chihuahua, Mexico for months, fighting the virus that would ultimately claim his life. His final video, recorded just before he was intubated and hours before his death, is a hopeful one. He passed away Friday, and the video has since shot to viral status as people around the globe mourn with his family.
The 28-year-old frontline nurse leaves behind a tight-knit family and young son. Several members of Hernandez’s family fell ill at the same time, and continue their own battles with the virus even as they mourn his death. Many of them have thankfully recovered, but his sister, only 30 years old at the time, lost her life to the virus only a few months ago, in August. Many family members are unable to travel to Hernandez’s funeral, as they are still sick.
In his message, Hernandez appears optimistic. “Because I will come back, this is not a goodbye. I am sure I will come back after a few days,” he says from his hospital bed. “I want that, no matter what happens, and the prognosis that God has reserved for me, you always remember me for who I was and who I am.”
His final, hopeful message, not intended as a goodbye, is providing his family some small comfort in their grief.
Hernandez’s family has incurred massive debt through their hospitalizations paired with both Hernandez and his sister’s deaths and subsequent funerals. They have sold nearly everything they own, according to ABC 7, and are currently struggling to survive.
A GoFundMe dedicated to raising money for Hernandez’s funeral and ensuring a good life for his young son has raised more than $55,000, far above its $20,000 goal.
Hernandez’s family hopes that the viral video can serve as a message to the public that the virus is real, and masks are a necessary part of keeping people safe.
From our friends at Nautilus
H/T ABC 7