A woman from Michigan has lost her husband of 35 years and her only son to coronavirus within three days of one another.
Sandy Brown along with her son 20-year-old Freddie had to watch as the loving husband and father lost his fight for life in the intensive care unit of a Detroit hospital.
Her son, Freddie Lee Brown III was admitted to hospital just after his father, Freddie Lee Brown Jr., 59, was taken ill. Both ended up in the ICU.
Sandy Brown , far right, from Michigan had to bury both her husband, left, and son on Friday
Freddie Lee Brown Jr., 59, left, died just days before his son Freddie Lee Brown III, center
Freddie Facetimed his mother from the hospital as she attempted to comfort him with the lullabies she sang to him as a baby according to The Detroit News.
He died the following day leaving his mother all alone without any family.
‘There’s not even a word created to describe my pain. It’s unimaginable,’ she said.
The agony of saying goodbye to both the men in her life was compounded further the fact she was unable to be with them during their final moments, unable to comfort either. Unable to say goodbye.
Both men ended up in intensive care after falling ill with coronavirus
Freddie Lee Brown III, 20, initially fell ill but then suddenly got better, before taking a turn for the worse
Now in her hour of grief, she is unable to be comforted by friends with either a hug at the funerals or even now at her home with the restrictions in place.
‘You feel helpless,’ said Andy Torok, who was Freddie’s high school football coach.
‘You can’t go to the house and tell them it’s going to be all right.’
Sandy from Grand Blanc, northwest of Detroit is a realtor was married to Freddie Jr., was a retired produce clerk, for 35 years.
She became pregnant at the age of 40 and gave birth to Freddie III. The couple called him their ‘miracle child’ after she suffered several miscarriages before finally conceiving.
Sandy was married to Freddie Jr. for 35 years. Her son, 20, was her ‘miracle child’ after several miscarriages
Freddie III was a student at Mott Community College and into his football. He dreamed of playing for Michigan State University.
He husband started to feel unwell around mid-March after he went to beg shivering but woke up sweating through the sheets.
After becoming tired and sick, he was unable to consume any food or water and so he was taken to Ascension Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc Township.
Freddie Jr., had known underlying health conditions after he had a kidney transplant in 2012.
After having trouble breathing he was placed onto a ventilator despite his wife attempting to prevent the move because it would see him being placed in to a medically induced coma.
Sandy Brown is pictured just before the funerals of both her son and her husband
‘Calm down,’ he told her over the phone. ‘I’ll be fine. It will just be a few days.’
Sadly, three days later his lung collapsed and she was called in the middle of the night to tell her that he was about to pass away.
She was did not make it to the hospital in time and she was even told that she would not even be allowed to see her husband’s body, but Sandy insisted.
‘I’m going in that room,’ she told them. ‘I don’t care what I have to do. I’ll sign whatever I need to sign.’
Staff dressed her up in protective equipment with a mask, gloves, gown and glasses.
According to The Detroit News, Sandy was able to walk up his body, touch his hair and rub his cheek and neck as she said her own farewell.
Just one day later, her son who has asthma suddenly became sick with a fever and persistent cough.
During the night he could be heard panting and so his mother took him to the hospital the following day and he soon began to feel better.
Sandy was so pleased with his progress, she posted a jubilant message on Facebook.
Sandy would call her husband, ‘My Honey’, while she would call her son ‘My Sonny’
‘Every church I enter I will be shouting down the aisles!’ she wrote. ‘So please excuse me now for my disruption! Do you hear me! I will be shouting the victory in your face!’
But her elation was short lived as his condition suddenly worsened.
Yes again, she received a call from the hospital telling her to come immediately. He passed away soon afterwards.
‘In three days, I lost my husband and son to an ugly plague,’ she said. ‘I watched my son go from completely well and whole and happy to being gone in three days.’
While at the funeral home, everybody present was forced to wear face masks
Heartbroken mother from Michigan, Sandy Brown, pays a final farewell to her 20-year-old son
As friends and relatives came by to comfort her, they were not even allowed inside her home for fear of the virus spreading, although Sandy does not appear to have it.
‘This is so hard to sit through, knowing I can’t love on my family,’ said Cassandra Dukes, Sandy’s goddaughter.
On Friday, Sandy buried her husband and son. Throughout the trauma, she has turned to God to deal with her grief.
‘Medical science says I should be traumatized,’ she said. ‘I had a traumatic experience twice. I should be banging my head against the wall.’
‘But God said no. I’m standing here in the strength of the Lord, not strength of my own. God has got me.’
The service was livestreamed over Sandy’s Facebook page.
Just 25 people were allowed to attend the funeral with everyone having to wear masks.
‘My two men are gone. I am standing here in the strength of the Lord, not no strength of my own,’ said Brown.
Thousands tuned into to watch the funeral which was livestreamed on Facebook
No pall bearers were allowed at the funeral. Instead, the cemetery ground staff were involved
Those who were present at the funeral had to watch the ceremony from their cars
At the cemetery, nobody was allowed to leave their cars as both coffins were lowered into the ground.
‘It seems so unfair,’ Sandy said. ‘I can’t even give them a proper burial. I just have to put them into a box and put them into a hole.’
She is calling her husband and son her guardian angels.
‘You guys are going to be looking over me,’ she said to herself. ‘And I’m going to need it. I’m going to need it.’
