Source: Witthaya Prasongsin / Getty
A Detroit couple passed away within hours of each other after contracting COVID-19 last week PEOPLE reported.
The heartbreaking incident began in mid-August after 44-year-old Troy Green was gearing up to go on a family vacation to Florida with his wife and kids. Troy decided to stay behind as he became too ill to travel. His wife, Charletta, who was also 44, took off to the sunshine state for their planned getaway, only to become hospitalized with COVID-19 just two days after her arrival. A day later, Troy was taken to a hospital in Detroit, for COVID-19 treatment.
FOX 2 News reported that the childhood sweethearts, who had been married for 22 years, spent their anniversary battling COVID-19 in the ICU on ventilators. While Troy showed signs of improvement, Charletta’s condition took a turn for the worst.
Tiki Green, Troy’s sister, revealed to the outlet that Charletta’s lungs were “severely damaged,” she shared. “They just couldn’t do any more for her,”
Green continued:
“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 percent constantly, he just basically couldn’t take that. He just started having chest pains and eventually a couple of hours later he passed.”
Charletta died on Labor Day and hours later, Troy passed away on the morning of September 7.
According to Green, Troy and Charletta were contemplating whether they should receive the vaccine, but the decision came far too late. The couple leaves behind seven children between the ages of 10 and 23, according to Fox 2 News.
Green says the children are distraught over their parents’ untimely passing.
“We’re just telling them that we are here, we love them and we’re going to support them as much as we can,” said Green. “And we’re just trying to get help for them – because these kids they didn’t ask for this, they didn’t expect this.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help the family cover funeral expenses. As of September 13, the family has been able to raise over $26,700.
RELATED CONTENT: Louisiana Officer Dies From COVID-19 A Day Before Wedding
