Local Nurse, Beloved Mother & Grandmother Evelyn Caro Dies Of COVID-19 After Weeks-Long Fight
COLUMBIA, Md. (WJZ) -- A beloved mother, grandmother and local nurse died last week of COVID 19 after fighting it for weeks.
Liam St. John tells WJZ his mother Evelyn Caro was born to help others.
"My mom made the business of 'caring' her life's work and I can't think of a better way to honor than to share her story," St. John said.
Caro was a nurse for 19 years. She called her son around March 26 saying she had a fever. Her symptoms began to worsen.
"We were throwing the supplies up her balcony so she could get to them and one of them was a device to measure how much oxygen was getting to her hands," he said.
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St. John said in no time at all, his mother's symptoms were severe and she had to call 911.
"My last words to my mom were 'Don't worry, I'm on my way,'" as she was being loaded into an ambulance.
After a few days at Howard General, Caro was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital.
"She lost function to her right lung, she had an infection raging, fever spiking -- they were doing everything they could," said St. John, who was able to visit her one last time.
"On Saturday, April 11, my mom passed away in the ICU at Johns Hopkins," St. John said.
Her grandchildren were not able to say goodbye.
St. John said his mom raised three boys on her own, she was known as abuela to her grandchildren and she fought the coronavirus until the end.
As St. John reflected on his mother's legacy, as a nurse himself, he pleaded with the public to stay home.
"I really need the public to understand the cost of selfish actions, maybe you don't get sick, but maybe you give it to somebody else," he said, as he expressed that many people are not allowed to visit their dying family members in hospitals around the country.
"Please don't give up on this fight too early," he said.
St. Johns works at Mercy Hospital and said he's hoping hospitals can somehow start getting virtual messages to patients.
He said when they wake up, he hopes they see messages of love and hope from family, friends, church groups, local heroes, anyone who can share a positive moment instead of being surrounded by machines.
For those hoping to help, you can donate PPE to healthcare workers by supporting this link.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
