DETROIT — A Michigan couple were thousands of miles away, but died hours apart from COVID-19, leaving their seven children orphaned.
Troy and Charletta Green, both 44, planned a family vacation to Florida in mid-August to celebrate their anniversary, WJBK reported.
Troy ended up staying behind because he was not feeling well. Two days after getting to Florida, Charletta got sick and was hospitalized with COVID-19. The following day, Troy was taken to a hospital. Both were put on ventilators.
“They met when they were 14 years old, got married, been married 22 years, and had seven beautiful children,” said Troy’s sister, Tiki Green.
“Her lungs were severely damaged and ... they just couldn’t do any more for her,” Green said. “When he realized that his wife, you know, maybe not getting better, after he hears she’s on a ventilator and she’s on it 100% constantly, he just basically couldn’t take that. He just started having chest pains and eventually a couple of hours later he passed.”
Neither of the couple were vaccinated. Family said they had considered getting inoculated before their trip to Florida.
Their family is devastated.
“We just always knew they were coming home,” Tiki Green said. “So for neither of them to come home, words can’t explain how we feel right now.”
A crowd sourced fundraising account was set up to help the family.