November 2, 2020

Mrs. Veronica Bowleg lost her beloved son, Ervin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. While he did not die of coronavirus, she wants to let her community know to take care of themselves so they don’t suffer the loss of loved one as she has.

“When my son died, I couldn’t be there by his side. Ervin didn’t die of coronavirus, but I wasn’t allowed into the hospital because of it.”

What none of us knew was that Ervin had been dying a silent death for a long time. The doctor told us that he was overweight and that his heart and lungs just gave out—side effects of the high carbon dioxide in his body.

He entered the hospital because of high blood pressure and after an initial test showed that his oxygen levels were low. When he first got to the hospital his COVID-19 test was negative and sometime after being there, he contracted COVID-19 and eventually tested positive.

It’s hurtful that you can’t be next to someone you love. Ervin did everything for us. He has a daughter, and his fiancé had his second child just after he passed. Ervin’s death could have been avoided if he would have just gone and got check-ups more often. 

I want people to be aware to stay as healthy as they can and check themselves out with a health professional regularly. Sometimes we don’t know what our bodies are doing. You need to check your blood pressure, your lungs, your oxygen. Don’t be afraid to get checked out. Even if you don’t have insurance.”

If you are feeling sick, or have questions about COVID-19, please call the Florida Health Department COVID-19 Call Center 24/7 at 1-866-779-6121 or visit https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/ to find a testing site near you. To follow Mrs. Bowleg’s advice to see a health professional regularly even if you aren’t feeling sick (doctors recommend getting a physical once a year), please click here for a list of free health clinics in Palm Beach County.