Mother of 5 dies from COVID-19 without meeting newborn daughter
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. (Gray News) - A California family is in mourning after a nurse died from COVID-19 in the days following the birth of her fifth child. Her husband remains hospitalized with the virus.
Davy Macias, a 37-year-old labor and delivery nurse for Kaiser Permanente, worked through the COVID-19 pandemic until she was hospitalized earlier this month. She was seven months pregnant with her fifth child at the time.
Shortly after her hospitalization, doctors delivered her baby about six weeks early, KTLA reports. The mother’s condition did not improve after the birth. She died the morning of Aug. 26 without ever having met her newborn daughter.
“She touched everybody’s life… She’s a great and an amazing woman,” said Davy Macias’ sister, Vandana Serey, in an interview with KABC.
Davy Macias’ husband, Daniel Macias, was diagnosed with COVID-19 shortly after his wife. He remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Family members believe the husband and wife, who had not been vaccinated for COVID-19, contracted the virus while on vacation with their children, ages 7, 5, 3 and 2, in late July.
Davy Macias’ brother, Vong Serey, told KTLA he believes his sister hadn’t gotten vaccinated because she was nervous about doing so while pregnant.
Before he was intubated, Daniel Macias recommended unvaccinated family members should get the shot. Vong Serey says the family’s ordeal changed his mind about the vaccine.
“COVID doesn’t play by the rules. It doesn’t matter — you’re young, old — it can hit anybody at this point,” Vong Serey told KTLA. “When it hits this close to home… it really affects you. It opens your eyes.”
Family members say the couple’s newborn remains in the neonatal intensive care unit but is doing well. She has not yet been named.
“No name for the baby yet because Daniel was waiting for Davy to wake up to give the baby the name,” Vong Serey told KTLA.
A GoFundMe set up to help the family has raised more than $100,000.
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