Coronavirus: Three Family Members Die in Less Than A Month

SAN ANTONIO, TX — A San Antonio family is dealing with the loss of three family members in the same month due to COVID-19. The Cisneros family lost members of three generations in just three weeks.

According to KABB, 35-year-old Ray Cisneros passed away on July 27 after battling the virus since late June. He had been hospitalized since June 29th.

"I had so much hope that he was going to walk out of that hospital,” said his wife Matilda Cisneros. "He was healthy. He had no underlying conditions. We all took precautions. But it still happened. He was on the ventilator for so long that they had to remove the tube and replace it as a tracheostomy.”

"My brother was texting, 'I can't stop coughing. I don't know, maybe I have it,” said Tina Cisneros, Ray’s sister. "We knew he had COVID before he even got tested. We were just sure he had all the symptoms. So he got tested, and he was sent to the hospital before he even got his results back."

According to his family, he was intubated on July 4th, just one day before his 35th birthday. His family believed he would be able to recover because he was young and healthy.

"I thought, 'He's young, his organs are great, everything's good,'" stated Tina. "'He'll make it through. We just have to get over this.'"

"We really felt in our heart like he was going to come home," said his youngest sister Ciera Cisneros Limon. "He was the light of our family."

"His body just went through so much from COVID," said Matilda. "His heart stopped on the 18th of July, but they were able to bring him back, and he was doing so well. But his lungs were just so damaged. A lung collapse is actually what did it. A lung collapsed on his heart."

According to his family, Ray never learned about the passing of his other family members, which include his aunt and grandfather.

Ray’s 71-year-old grandfather passed away from COVID-19 complications on July 3rd and just five days later his aunt, Sandra Cisneros, passed away.

"Ray had no idea that his grandfather and his aunt had passed," said Tina. “We decided, 'Let's wait until he's out and he's home. So, he never knew."

According to the Cisneros family, they had been taken every precaution possible since the pandemic began, including wearing masks and social distancing.

"It's hard because we're such a close family," said Tina. "We would text each other constantly and say, 'Hey, we can't be around each other. I'd rather sacrifice six months or a year of my life to be distant from you than to not have you at all.' And it happened anyway."

"People just can't let their guard down," said Matilda. "They have to be very careful."

"Ray was doing what he could to make sure that he was being safe," added Tina. "He was being safe for his family. It can happen to anyone."

Ray is survived by his wife, and his 11-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter.

"He was a great dad," said his son Samuel. "He was my only dad."

"Whenever I used to have a bad day, he would cheer me up and make me happy," said his daughter Esmerie. "He made me happy every single day. I just love him."

"He was such a good dad," said Matilda. "He was amazing. He was my everything."

A GoFundMe was created by Ray’s sister to help the family. Donors raised over $15,000 in just over one day.

“By all accounts, my brother was a young, healthy individual who tested positive a little over 1 month ago and just under a week later was sent to the hospital due a low oxygen level.  It has been a roller coaster of emotions for my family since,” said Tina in the fundraiser.

“Shortly after being admitted we were informed he was suffering from pneumonia, and five days later he was placed on a ventilator.  My brother was so strong through the entire process and put up an amazing fight. We experienced both good and bad days, however on July 27th we had to say our goodbyes.”