India has become a global hot spot for COVID cases.
The situation is so dire that some people are dying outside of hospitals.
In Metro Detroit, families are grieving across the world for loved ones in India who have died.
Rupali Sharma’s cousin died of COVID in India.
“Every teardrop tells a story,” Sharma said.
It’s estimated that one person is dying every five minutes from COVID in India.
“It breaks your heart because, you know, at some point that could be somebody you know,” Sharma said.
This week, the Krishana and Verma families in Canton lost their cousin Seema Verma.
“Everybody was just in complete shock. Even though they knew she was sick and getting weaker every day, but it’s -- They just never imagined it would be COVID-related,” Sharma said.
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Verma was a hospital administrator in India’s capital. The mother of two had battled Hodgkin’s lymphoma for years. Her family said she had a round of chemo last week, but within days of getting COVID she died.
Sandeep Kumar Buttan is Verma’s brother-in-law.
“It was not acceptable to us because she was a good fighter. Because she was fighting with the lung cancer for the last nine years,” Buttan said. “We were really shocked with how the coronavirus has become responsible for such a loss of the family member.”
A second wave is crippling India’s medical system as new strains emerge. People have had to be turned away from hospitals.
“We are not able to get any beds in any hospital,” Buttan said.
Sharma said her family has relied on video calls so they can all grieve together. She is devastated thinking about one of their last conversations.
“The one thing she definitely did say is, ‘I don’t want to die.’ And for somebody to tell you that and the next thing that happens is they pass away, is, it’s like, even your soul gets taken away from hearing that from someone,” Sharma said.
The family said Verma remained upbeat and positive until the very end. Some of her family members are starting to experience mild COVID symptoms but are expected to be OK.
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