‘Inseparable’ Couple Married for 51 Years Die 6 Minutes Apart, Losing Lives to COVID-19

‘Inseparable’ Couple Married for 51 Years Die 6 Minutes Apart, Losing Lives to COVID-19
(Illustration - Shutterstock)
Daksha Devnani
4/8/2020
Updated:
4/21/2020
An “inseparable” couple from Boynton Beach, Florida, who were married for 51 years lost their lives to the CCP virus and passed away within six minutes of each other on March 29 due to complications. Now, their son Buddy Baker is urging people in a heartbreaking video to take guidelines by health officials seriously.
According to CNN, Stuart Baker, 74, and his wife, Adrian, 72, both retirees, were in perfect health a few weeks ago.

Buddy, a veteran NFL agent, shared that his parents started to feel unwell about three weeks ago and visited a doctor but were eventually sent home. However, not long after, their condition started to deteriorate, so their doctor advised them to go to a hospital. They were then sent home from the hospital too and asked to self-quarantine until their condition got better.

Concerned of his parents’ health, Buddy, a CEO of Exclusive Sports group, would call in to check with them frequently, but they showed no signs of improvement.

On March 19, Stuart was admitted in the hospital after he got a fever and asthma, while Adrian was sent home.

Buddy was worried about his mother, who was home alone and anxious. He told ABC, “My parents were married, as I tweeted, 51 years and [were] virtually inseparable. They were never in different places and they were rarely in different rooms.”

He further added that “[We] were really worried about my mom being by herself … we would go see her and she was very weak and really wasn’t walking great.”

The family was optimistic that their father, whom they were chatting with, would be able to pass through the ordeal. However, two days after Stuart was admitted to the hospital, he was taken into the ICU. The family still continued to remain hopeful.

On March 24, Buddy received a devastating call from the hospital, stating that his father had tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. Doctors told Buddy his father “wasn’t going to make it.”

ATLANTA, GA - UNDATED: This undated handout photo from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a microscopic view of the novel coronavirus at the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia. (©Getty Images | <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/this-undated-handout-photo-from-the-centers-for-disease-news-photo/1889380?adppopup=true">CDC</a>)
ATLANTA, GA - UNDATED: This undated handout photo from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a microscopic view of the novel coronavirus at the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia. (©Getty Images | CDC)

The family didn’t want to break the upsetting news to their mother but took her to the hospital to get checked too as a “precautionary measure.” Within 45 minutes of her being admitted, doctors called to inform Buddy of the tragic news that his mother’s condition seemed bleak.

“In the timeframe of about five to six hours, I was informed, on the phone, by two separate doctors, that each one of [my] parents were [most likely] not going to make it,” Buddy said.

Not long after, doctors informed Buddy and his sister that their parents’ organs were failing and that neither would likely survive. Thus, the siblings decided to move their parents to hospice care. On March 29, the hospital put the couple in the same room and snapped a picture of the two “holding hands” while being sedated.

Illustration - Shutterstock | <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-elderly-couple-holding-hands-while-1221793897">Rido</a>
Illustration - Shutterstock | Rido

The Bakers were then taken off ventilators and passed away minutes apart.

Alluding to their long-lasting bond, Buddy told CNN, “They were as compatible and inseparable as two human beings have ever been married and existed on earth.”

On March 31, Buddy took to Twitter to share the loss of his family while also educating people to take the pandemic seriously. He said, “We live in a world of ‘It can’t happen to me,’ ‘It can’t happen to us,’ ‘It can’t happen to my family.’ Well, it happened to us.”

He further urged people to take the necessary measures to help slow the spread of the virus by washing their hands, practicing social distancing, and staying at home.

“While we usually look for a positive thing, to be an inspiration, we hope that what’s happened to us, to our family, inspires others to start leading and unifying with each other to make the right choice and the challenging choice,” Buddy continued. “Again, it’s going to take all of us banding together and deciding that we’re going to stop the spreading of this virus. God bless and be safe.”

Watch the video:
Daksha Devnani writes and edits stories about life, traditions, and people with uncompromising courage that inspire hope and goodness among humanity
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