Before a Connecticut father died from coronavirus, he wrote a letter expressing how grateful he was for his family and how much he loved them. Little did his wife Katie know this letter was written in her husband's phone, waiting to be found after his death.
Jonathan Coelho, 32, fought for 28 days at a Danbury hospital, 20 of those days on a ventilator, before going into cardiac arrest and dying, Katie said in a Facebook post.
"He was so close to recovery when his body just couldn’t fight anymore," Katie wrote in his obituary.
A day before Jonathan was intubated, he wrote a letter to his wife and children.
The letter said: "I love you guys with all my heart and you’ve given me the best life I could have ever asked for. I am so lucky it makes me so proud to be your husband and the father to Braedyn and Penny."
"Katie you are the most beautiful, caring, nurturing person I’ve ever met...You are truly one of a kind... Make sure you live life with happiness and that same passion that made me fall in love with you. Seeing you be the best mom to the kids is the greatest thing I’ve ever experienced," the letter continues.
Jonathan addressed his children, 2-year-old son Braedyn and 10-month-old daughter Penelope, in the letter, too.
"Let Braedyn [know] he’s my best bud and I’m proud to be his father and for all the amazing things he’s done and continues to do," the letter read. "Let Penelope know she’s a princess and can have whatever she wants in life. I’m so lucky."
"I was able to sit with Jonathan in the ICU after [he died] and just sat, cried and told him how much the kids and I loved him," Katie said in a Facebook post.
U.S. & World
Katie and Jonathan met at Western Connecticut State University and got married in 2013.
Jonathon and his wife did not have an easy journey becoming parents. The couple had suffered two miscarriages and needed to undergo in vitro fertilization treatment in order to conceive. Their son Braedyn was born in November of 2017 with neurological problems, including cerebral palsy, according to Katie.
Photos: Conn. Father Leaves Sentimental Note in His Phone for Wife, Kids Before Dying of COVID-19
A week before Jonathan started experiencing symptoms, their family had completely isolated to protect their at-risk son Braedyn, Katie said on Facebook.
"We took the proper precautions, proper hand washing, social distancing, etc. But it still infected my family," Katie said.
Katie said Jonathan was a dedicated employee of the state of Connecticut for over 10 years.
"He was a hard worker with a kind soul," Katie said. "He would work and commute 13 hours a day but the moment he walked in the door, he was 'Da.'"
"The pain we are feeling is indescribable, our everything was stolen from us. My heart is not even broken it’s shattered. My kids and I will live the rest of our lives without Jonathan. And I don't know how we're going to do it," Katie continued.
