An eldelry Texas couple, who both got infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has died an hour apart while holding hands.

Texas Couple
(Photo : Twitter)

Betty and Curtis Tarpley have been together in most of their lives. They have been married for 53 years. They went to the same high school in Illinois, fell in love, got married, and raised two children. 

On June 8, the couple died from COVID-19 just minutes apart at a hospital in Texas. They spent their last minutes holding hands. It is a complete fulfillment of their marriage vow, "Till death do us part."

Tim Tarpley, the couple's son, said his mother had been sick for days, when he took her to the hospital. Betty, 80 years old, tested positive for COVID-19. 

She was admitted on June 9 and just two days after or on June 11, her 79-year-old husband Curtis was admitted to the same hospital. 

Tim said his father was in the intensive care unit (ICU), but he seemed so well because nurses have been able to wheel him to Betty's unit. This way, the couple could spend time together. 

Meanwhile, her mother's condition was declining. Tim said her mother called her and his sister and she told them that she was ready to go. 

"I just screamed 'No!' I was like, 'I've got too much, too many other things to do in this life that I want to show you, and I'm not ready'," Tim said.

CNN News published in its report that the hospital staff allowed Tim and his sister to visit their mother twice. During their first visit, Betty was heavily medicated and did not know that her children were there. 

On their second visit, she was very alert and gave some jokes. However, the saddening part was the doctors told them that she did not have much time. 

Tim called his father and told him about his mother's condition. He also told his dad how much he loved him. At the moment he told the bad news to his father, the oxygen level of Curtis started to drop.

"I really feel like he like he was fighting because he was supposed to and once he knew she wasn't gonna make it, then he was okay with, you know, taking it to the house," Tim said.

Tim said a nurse arranged that his mother and father to be together. The Texas couple decided to go on comfort care, which means giving them high doses of medication to ease their pain.

Blake Throne, one of the ICU nurses who took care of Curtis, said he felt that the right thing to do was to get them together. It was then that he started to inquire if it was even possible. 

Throne said that it took a team effort to make it possible. Then they moved Betty to the ICU so she could be with her husband in the remaining time of their lives. 

Throne shared that Curtis opened his eyes and knew that Betty was there. Throne then put the hand of Betty to Curtis' arm. Twenty minutes later, Betty died, while Curtis died after 45 minutes.

After 53 years of marriage, the couple was only separated in just minutes and died together. Still, they were able to fulfill their marriage vow, "Till death do us part."

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