Trinidad: Love for COVID-stricken sister costs woman her life
(Trinidad Guardian) - Hema Ragoo sacrificed her life for her sister Selina, nursing her back to health after Selina got infected with the COVID-19 virus five weeks ago.
Determined not to let her sister die, Hema sat at Selina’s bedside praying fervently, feeding her sips of water, cooling off her high fever and rubbing her back as she coughed up mucus and blood.
But doctors believe it was this sacrifice that cost Hema her life.
After being hospitalised for two weeks, Hema, 36, of Princes Town, died at the Augustus Long Hospital in Point-a-Pierre on Thursday.
Doctors tried valiantly to keep her alive. They inserted a tube in her throat to help with oxygen but although she was given Intensive Care treatment, she succumbed to organ failure.
Guardian Media first encountered Hema on May 10, when she frantically called the newsroom saying they could not get an ambulance to take Selina to the hospital after she fell ill with the disease.
Almost every day afterwards, she would provide updates on her family, several of whom had tested positive for COVID.
On May 11, Hema wrote, “She (Selina) is feeling a little better. I get an oxygen tank. My aunty had one. I give her tea, plus she eat a slice of bread.”
She sent that message with a happy face icon.
A day later, she wrote, “She not progressing good so I took her to Princes Town Hospital. The doctor was really nice to us.”
On nights when Selina gasped for breath, Hema monitored her oxygen levels, staying up all night listening to her sister breathing while she slept.
She would leave voice notes expressing thanks for the scriptures and words of comfort sent to her. Hema later confessed that she was feeling unwell, having come down with sore throat, body pains and later a slight fever.
“I don’t want to tell anyone to worry them,” she said.
Through it all, she continued caring for her family, making sure that everyone ate and that all surfaces in the household were sanitised and clean. By then, six members of the family had tested positive.
On May 17, Hema provided good news.
“My sister is feeling a lot better. A person from the Ministry of Health dropped a monitor to check oxygen. Just mommy was seeing a little difficulty in breathing but we are feeling a lot better now.”
But as Selina got better, Hema got worse. On May 19, she left her final voice note. In between gasps, she muttered, “I’m not feeling good. Oxygen only dropping. Just now my brother going to call the ambulance for me and my mother still in the hospital. She tested positive.”
That was the last time Guardian Media had contact with her.