A family is mourning the loss of a 33-year-old Detroit mother who died of COVID-19 just after giving birth to a healthy baby boy.
As per tragic reports, 33-year-old Erika Becerra was diagnosed with coronavirus in November, at which time she was 8 months pregnant. When she began to complain of feeling unwell, she was taken to a Detroit hospital as a precaution.
“She’s all like, ‘Mom, I don’t feel good. I don’t feel like myself. It’s hard to breathe,’” said Erika’s brother, Michael Avilez.
“The weekend came along. The doctor saw she wasn’t getting any better. They gave birth to her son.”
On November 15, Erika gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Diego Antonio Becerra. Sadly, however, her condition drastically worsened soon after.
Her brother Michael explained: “She had a normal labor. She gave birth to her son but didn’t get to hold him because right after she gave birth, that’s when they put the tube in. Then, from there, she just started declining.”
The rest of her family then rushed from Los Angeles to Detroit to be by Erika’s side. As per reports, she had no underlying conditions other than the fact that she was pregnant.
“Towards the last moments, she was tearing. I know she heard us. We prayed for her. We talked to her. We comforted her to the last moments,” Michael recalled.
Thankfully, newborn Diego, Erika’s husband and the couple’s 1-year-old daughter all tested negative for COVID-19. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Erika’s family cover the expenses incurred.
Of the virus which took his sister’s life, Michale said: “It is a real thing. I don’t know why people don’t comprehend that.
“It was all my sister wanted was the best for everybody, and she cared about lives. She didn’t deserve to go through what she went through.”
COVID-19 remains a very real threat that is damaging communities and killing people every day. Rest in peace, Erika.
Share this article to wish Erika’s family strength and love moving forward, and to remind others to remain vigilant and careful.
