End of tragic year nears for Valley family that lost 8 relatives to COVID-19

Valley family reflects on tough year after losing 8 relatives to COVID-19

Ricardo Aguirre's father was among the eight relatives who died, but still, something positive has happened to Ricardo this year.

PHOENIX - For one Phoenix family, the end of a tough year is almost here.

The Aguirre family’s business, Tamales y Tacos Puebla, had to shut down when the COVID-19 pandemic began in March. Making it more tragic, the family lost eight relatives, including 67-year-old Jose de Jesus Aguirre to the virus.

"Never in my wildest dreams would I ever think we would go through something like this. It's been a long nine months," said Ricardo Aguirre.

Despite the tragedy, 2020 is ending on a more positive note of Ricardo Aguirre, his wife, two sons and his mother have all recovered from the virus, and Ricardo and his wife just welcomed a baby girl, named Guadalupe de Jesus.

The baby girl is named after the Virgin of Guadalupe, and Jose de Jesus, her grandfather.

Now, nine months after the pandemic began, the family’s business is getting back on track.

"I know my dad's watching over me look at that bright sky. I couldn't not be grateful," said Ricardo.

Ricardo says he is just grateful to have his health and family. He is also hoping for a much better 2021.

"We gotta keep pushing forward. We got to," said Ricardo. "I know a lot of families have been affected by this virus, but we gotta take it one day at a time. We just gotta be thankful for the things that we have."

The Aguirre family is also grateful for the community supporting them through this tough year.

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COVID-19 symptoms

Symptoms for coronavirus COVID-19 include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. These, of course, are similar to the common cold and flu.

Expect a common cold to start out with a sore or scratchy throat, cough, runny and/or stuffy nose. Flu symptoms are more intense and usually come on suddenly, and can include a high fever.

Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear more slowly. They usually include fever, a dry cough and noticeable shortness of breath, according to the World Health Organization. A minority of cases develop pneumonia, and the disease is especially worrisome for the elderly and those with other medical problems such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes or heart conditions.