See The Touching Note A Husband Left For His Wife And Kids Before He Died Of Coronavirus

Jon Coelho and wife, Katie

A young father who died of coronavirus Wednesday left a heartbreaking letter for his wife and two children in which he told them they had given him the 'best life I could have ever asked for'.

Jon Coelho, 32, died in hospital in Danbury, Connecticut, on April 22 after almost a month of trying to fight off the deadly virus and spending 20 days on a ventilator.

His wife Katie, 33, rushed to be at his side but was too late. 

Gathering his belongings, she looked through his phone hoping to find more pictures of their children - Braedyn, who is two and has cerebral palsy, and ten-month-old Penelope - and found a loving note from the doting husband and father.

In his last words to the family, Jon wrote how 'it makes me so proud to be your husband and the father to Braedyn and Penny'. 

'I love you guys with all my heart and you've given me the best life I could have ever asked for,' Jon wrote in a note that Katie shared with a GoFundMe page created for the family.

'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 note continued.

Jon called his son and daughter his 'best bud' and 'princess' before encouraging Katie, his wife of seven years, to move on if she meet somebody who loves them.

'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,' Jon wrote.

'Let Penelope know she's a princess and can have whatever she wants in life.

'I'm so lucky. Don't hold back, and if you meet someone know that if they love you and the kids that I love that for you. Always be happy no matter what!' he concluded.

The note he left behind

Jon went into sudden cardiac arrest on Wednesday after 28 days in hospital, 20 of which he spent on a ventilator.

He first tested positive for coronavirus on March 26 after he discovered he may have been exposed.

While Katie was able to remain at home as a caregiver for their son Braedyn, Jon was an essential worker at a local courthouse and continued to leave the house for work.

He had taken extra precautions because their son's cerebral palsy, which meant he was in a group vulnerable to the virus.

Even when Jon tested positive, doctors believed that he would pull through.

'This was his WORST fear, he always spoke about how he worried something would happen to him and he wouldn't be here for us. And his worst fear came true,' Katie said.

'He was so super vigilant because he was so afraid of what would happen to our son if he caught it.'

Jon first experienced only minor symptoms, losing of his sense of smell and suffering a migraine and fatigue but it quickly developed into a severe cough.

'Within 24 hours, he started coughing, and with the coughing fits, he wouldn't be able to catch his breath in between,' Katie told Buzzfeed News.

'The doctor told him to go to the hospital because he'd probably need nebulizer treatments.'

He was initially to be hospitalized just over the weekend but his condition drastically worsened and Jon was sent to the ICU and placed on a ventilator.

On March 31, a CT scan revealed that the Covid-19 virus had shown up aggressively in his lungs and his condition was described as 'severe' as he began to cough up blood.

He would remain on a ventilator for the next three weeks before suffering a cardiac arrest on April 22.

Jon Coelho and family

Katie, who has also experienced symptoms, was able to rush to the hospital after receiving an update but was too late.

Their daughter Penny had a low-grad fever from the virus for three days while Braedyn proved to be asymptomatic, she shared via the GoFundMe.

Even in some of his last moments, Jon had thought of his family, writing out important passwords that Katie may need to know on his phone as well as writing his last heartfelt note.

'Even though he was fighting for his life for the past month, I know up until the last second he wanted to make sure the kids and I were OK,' Katie told Buzzfeed.

'He knew he had to say something to me because I haven't been able to speak to him in so long.'

Katie wrote her own tribute to her loving husband which was shared on the GoFundMe page established when Jon, the sole provider in the family, was first taken into hospital.

She said the family had now 'lost their rock and foundation and they are beyond heartbroken'.

'Jonathan had a smile that made anyone feel loved, and a hug that made you feel secure,' she said.

'Jonathan will be so desperately missed, he never held a grudge or judged anyone. He always greeted everyone with a huge smile and a hug. He loved life and was looking forward to watching his children grow up and growing old with his wife.

'It's unfair that Jonathan's time with his family was cut so short,' she added.

'Jonathan only ever wanted to be there for his children and wife and this virus stole that away from him.'

***

Source: Daily Mail UK