Wife discovers tragic message on husband's phone after his death

A widow has shared the heartbreaking last message her husband left for her and their children, following his “courageous” battle with coronavirus.

On April 22, 32-year-old Jonathan Coelho, known to many by just his last name, died after spending 28 days in hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 in late March.

Mr Coelho, from Connecticut in the United States, “unexpectedly” went into cardiac arrest and died, leaving behind his wife Katie Coelho and their two children, Braedyn, 2, and Penelope, 10-months-old.

The Coelho family had a public Facebook page set up for their son, called Journey for Braedyn, who was born with “several medical complexities including cerebral palsy”.

It was on the public Facebook page Ms Coelho shared the news of her husband’s passing and the final message he had left for his family.

Ms Coelho said her husband had spent 20 days on a ventilator, but was doing “significantly better” in the days leading up to his death.

He tragically took a turn for the worst but Ms Coelho was able to sit with husband in the ICU after he died.

When Ms Coelho was given back her husband’s possessions, she opened his phone to find a note he had written the day before he was incubated.

“I love you guys with all my heart and you’ve given me the best life I could have ever asked for,” the note read.

“I am so lucky it makes me so proud to be your husband and the father to Braedyn and Penny.”

Mr Coelho wrote that his wife was “the most beautiful caring nurturing person” he had ever met, and described her as “one of a kind”.

“Make sure you live life with happiness and that same passion that made me fall in love with you,” Mr Coelho wrote to his wife.

• Coronavirus patient's 'last words' reveal country's major pandemic problem

• 'Survival mode': Harrowing message from medical workers in coronavirus epicentre

• The grim place New York City authorities may be forced to bury coronavirus victims

“Seeing you be the best mum to the kids is the greatest thing I’ve ever experienced.”

Mr Coelho continued with a message for his two young children.

“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,” he said.

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

“I’m so lucky.”

Ms Coelho wrote on the Facebook page the pain she and her family were feeling was “indescribable”, now that their “everything was stolen from us”.

“My heart is not even broken it’s shattered,” Ms Coelho said.

“My kids and I will live the rest of our lives without Jonathan. And I don’t know how we’re going to do it.”

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the Coelho family.

There it was explained Mr Coelho was the sole provider for the family, while Ms Coelho was a stay-at-home mother.

• How Australia could look in four weeks if measures are relaxed

• 'Worse still to come': Bleak virus warning as Australia mulls easing restrictions

• Why a second coronavirus wave could be 'much worse'

On the online obituary written by Ms Coelho, she said for ten years he had been a “dedicated employee” for the State of Connecticut.

Due to the vast medical conditions Braedyn was born with, both Mr and Ms Coelho “took such pride “ in providing their son with five therapy sessions per week and were “dedicated to giving him the best services possible”.

Although Penelope was less than a year old, she was described by Ms Coelho as “daddy’s girl”.

“Although she is young her world revolved around her dad, and Jonathan savoured every moment he had with her,” Ms Coelho wrote in the obituary.

“It’s unfair that Jonathan’s time with his family was cut so short. Jonathan only ever wanted to be there for his children and wife and this virus stole that away from him.”

Ms Coelho told Buzzfeed News her husband had no pre-existing health conditions and he was a “healthy 32-year-old”, however he did suffer bouts of cancer in his youth, something doctors assured him would not cause complications.

He was admitted to hospital in March due to breathing problems and it was expected he would just be there for a weekend.

According to the GoFundMe, a CT scan “showed aggressive COVID-19 virus in his lungs” and doctors said his case was severe.

• Coronavirus: New interactive maps reveal Australia's worst hit regions

• The state considering lifting virus restrictions in weeks – here's what it may look like

• Coronavirus cases broken down by suburb – how many are in your area?

According to an update provided by the State of Connecticut, more than 23,000 people have tested positive in the state for COVID-19 and there have been more than 1760 deaths.

While there has been more than 2.7 million cases of COVID-19 confirmed worldwide, the United States is now the epicentre for the virus.

More than 890,520 cases of the virus have been confirmed in the US, far outweighing Spain’s total of confirmed cases, 219,764, which has the second highest infection rate in the world.

More than 51,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the US.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.