PHOENIX — A Valley man is now a single father of three. The mother of his children, Veronica Bernal, died weeks after giving birth to twins as a result of COVID-19.
“She was happy. She loved them. Just remember all the good things about her,” said Manuel Medina, as he grapples with his new reality.
Medina had no idea that Christmas with Bernal would be his last. The couple was expecting twins.
“I think what makes it the hardest is that her leaving so soon, and just her not being able to raise the kids and see them,” Medina said through tears.
Days after Christmas, Bernal, tested positive for COVID-19 at 36-years-old. Her condition got serious quickly.
“She just woke up in the middle of the night screaming saying to me she couldn’t breathe,” recounted Medina.
Bernal ended up at Banner Estrella Medical Center in Phoenix. Doctors put her on a ventilator and dialysis. Doctors decided to induce Bernal’s labor at seven months pregnant to give her and her twins a fighting chance.
“She was just in the ICU. Nobody could see her,” says Medina.
After giving birth on Jan. 6, Bernal died on Jan. 25, without ever getting a chance to even hold her babies, Manuel Jr. and Mariyah. On top of all the grief, Medina is scared to raise the twins and the couple’s infant Christian alone.
“It’s just hard. It’s a lot to take in,” said Medina.
But Medina says as he finds his footing as a single father, he won’t let the memories of Bernal fade. He says he is struggling financially as his family tries to cope with Bernal’s passing.
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