A New Jersey man is recovering from the loss of his wife, brother and two other relatives – all of whom died of COVID-19 while living with him, according to a report.
Ed Kemble Jr., 61, of Burlington County, wondered how his loved ones contracted the dreaded disease and hopes his tragic story will push others to follow all safety guidelines during the pandemic, reports NJ.com.
“It may have come from many different directions. It is invisible. You can’t see it, so you can’t know where it came from, ”Kemble Jr., a volunteer firefighter and truck driver, told the media.
“People must be informed (the virus) is out there. People (should) keep their distance from each other and obey the rules that everyone says, ”added Kemble.
At first, Kemble’s diabetic wife, Barbara, was taken to a hospital in November when she suffered from dehydration due to kidney problems, according to the report.
She was tested for coronavirus and diagnosed with the disease.
In the following months, Kemble visited his sick wife for nearly 40 years – leaving Jersey Mike’s sandwiches and iced tea, but without entering her room.
On January 16, Barbara died of a stroke.
“All of our lives are reflected around the fire company,” said the bereaved widower about his wife, who was president of the Washington Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary in Delanco.
“We often went out in the city park, playing and stuff,” he told NJ.com. “(The coronavirus) contributed to her (health) problems. The cause of her death was a stroke. “
In December, Kemble’s mother-in-law, Ruth Sharp Allen, was hospitalized after developing pneumonia and a cough. She also tested positive for COVID-19 and died on December 2 at age 89.
Kemble’s younger brother, John Daniel Kemble, who lost both legs due to diabetes, was taken to the hospital because he needed emergency dialysis, NJ.com reported.
The brother, a former bus driver who held various positions at the Riverside Emergency Squad as a paramedic, tested positive for the virus and died of a heart attack on December 7.
And less than a week later, Ruth Allen’s sister, Eileen Wolverton – who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in the fall – died at Virtua Willingboro Hospital after a positive test for COVID-19.
Wolverton, a member of the Delanco / Washington Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary, helped care for Kemble’s bedridden brother, NJ.com reported.
Kemble said he is receiving his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, along with the rest of the fire department – but would like the vaccines to have been widely available before, so that his family could have been protected.
“They should be (available),” he said. “There would be a lot of people alive if it were.”