SAN MARCOS, Calif. (KGTV) - A heartbroken San Marcos family is grieving the loss of a beloved great-grandmother to COVID-19.
Gregoria Osorio, 78, started feeling sick in late July with a fever, and back and chest pain. She tested positive for COVID-19, and about two weeks later, an ambulance rushed her to the hospital.
"Her oxygen was really low, in the 70s, and I couldn't get the oxygen up," said her granddaughter Nubia Cruz.
Cruz says her grandmother was given oxygen and placed on a ventilator five days later.
"My heart was broken, just kept praying and praying," said Cruz.
Last Thursday, Osorio, a great-grandmother of 10, passed away.
"We miss her a lot. We just love her so much," said a tearful Cruz.
Her legacy is a lasting one. For decades, she served as her town's midwife outside Oaxaca, Mexico.
"She delivered more than a thousand babies," said Cruz.
She moved to San Marcos nearly two decades ago to be with family. Her cooking, especially her mole and tamales, was always filled with love.
"I want this to be a nightmare, and I wake up and see her next to me or in kitchen," said Cruz.
Cruz says her grandmother was healthy and had no pre-existing conditions. The family stuck close to home, wore masks and took every precaution. Cruz tested positive and was asymptomatic.
"Don't think this doesn't exist because it's here," said Cruz.
As businesses begin reopening again, she worries about what's next.
"Please take all the measures you can. The pain left behind, I don't have words to explain," said Cruz.
A Gofundme campaign has been set up to help the family with expenses.
