This incredibly supportive husband held an “I love you” sign in a hospital parking lot every single day while his wife was in the ICU.
Donna Crane, from Port Orange, Florida, had contracted COVID-19 in August this year. According to Newsner, she was hospitalized for acute respiratory failure after she struggled to breathe properly on her own.
Speaking to FOX10 News, Donna said:
“It is the most terrifying thing you will ever experience in your life, just laying there not being able to take a breath.”
Husband holds up "I love you" sign to wife's ICU window for 10 days while she fought COVID ❤️❤️❤️ https://t.co/a4dbosBx3c pic.twitter.com/s5zNXmane5
— azfamily 3TV CBS 5 (@azfamily) September 7, 2021
Thankfully, despite not being able to see her loved ones in person, her devoted husband never left her side. Although Gary, Donna’s husband, could not enter the intensive care unit, he found a way to let the love of his life know that he was there for her.
Donna had to spend the next 10 days all alone in the ICU, fearing what the future holds.
She shared:
“I couldn’t see him, and that was the hardest part is not being able to have somebody there. You would lay there in bed at night and you would hear code after code after code being called, and you just wonder what’s going to happen.”
Things got even worse when she was diagnosed with double pneumonia as a result of the virus. In an interview with Good Morning America, she shared: “It tore my lungs up.
Gary added:
“It was really rough on both of us. That was the hardest part — just not knowing. I would call the nurses and they could only give me basic stuff like her vitals.”
The Marion County Fire Rescue lieutenant knew he had to do something to let his wife know she was not alone in this.
So, he grabbed some materials and made the sweetest sign saying, “I love you.” Then, for the next 10 days, he showed up at the hospital parking lot with the sign. From her room on the 10th floor, Donna would look out the window and see her beloved husband showing her the support she needs to keep moving forward and overcome the disease.
Gary said:
“I just wanted her to know I was there.”
Donna added:
“My nurses were very sweet but they didn’t replace my Gary. Gary coming with a sign every day to tell me he loves me was amazing. He was doing everything in his power to be there.”
Fortunately, Donna was able to come back home in less than two weeks.
Husband holds up 'I love you' sign to wife's ICU window for 10 days while she fought COVID. https://t.co/XEPLexUdYD pic.twitter.com/TYm1a1etrN
— Fox12Oregon (@fox12oregon) September 7, 2021
But for the time she was away, Gary would show up every day to remind her he would never leave her side. He recalled:
“I just wanted her to know that [I love her] because I know she was going to be scared and I couldn’t be there with her, and I just wanted her to know that I’m there.”
Meanwhile, the couple also learned they were about to become grandparents. Donna said:
“I just found out, my daughter is expecting. We’re going to be grandparents, and that went through my mind. I want to hold my [grand]baby].”
