WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — A Winter Haven woman is grieving the loss of her husband after she got hospitalized with COVID-19, only to come home to find her husband dead from COVID-19 complications.
“It was just like walking into a horror scene. It’s just been horrible,” said Lisa Steadman.
58-year-old Lisa Steadman thought she was through the worst of it. She and her husband Ron both got diagnosed with COVID-19 in early August.
“I was in the hospital for 8 days. Every day I talked to him,” said Steadman.
Ron never ended up in the hospital, but instead was home taking care of the dogs while Lisa was gone.
“Sunday, when I talked to him, he told me his phone was acting up, that it wouldn’t hold a charge. I said ‘okay,’ well then Monday came, I couldn’t get ahold of him. So I called the police, Winter Haven Police Department, said could they do a wellness check. They came out, did a wellness check, talked to him, he was out with the dogs, they said, ‘he has a cold,’ but he was okay as far as not fixing to pass away or something,” said Steadman.
But sometime between then and when Lisa left the hospital Wednesday evening, things took a turn for the worst.
“I could hear our little dogs. They were all in the bedroom together, the dogs and him. I rolled to the bedroom door, I opened the door, and he was on the bed passed away,” said Steadman.
Ron died from COVID-related complications.
“He always wore his mask, he always used his hand sanitizer,” said Steadman.
Lisa said that neither of them had received a COVID-19 vaccine, not because they were against it, only because they wanted to wait.
Now, after talking with her doctor and dealing with the virus firsthand, her mind has changed.
“I said that when I got better, cause I can’t take it til the end of September, that I would get the shot,” said Steadman.
Now she shares a message to everyone else:
“Remember you are not promised tomorrow. So you better make sure you tell your loved ones you love them,” said Steadman.
If you’d like to donate to help Lisa with funeral expenses, click here.
