Wife In Tears After Discovering Her Husband's Last Words On His Phone Just Days After His Death

Wife in tears after discovering her husband's last words on his phone just days after his death. Jonathan Coelho was a devoted father and husband. He loved to watch the New England Patriots play Sunday night football, bear hugs, and the Rock Band under oath. What's more, he was raising a family that included a child with special health needs. Then he himself became gravely ill, and he had no idea that he would soon have to prepare to write his last words. By the time Katie Coelho arrived at the hospital, her husband John was already gone. In the weeks that preceded, her husband's battle against COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, went from bad to worse. Because of strict rules and restrictions, she hadn't seen John since he was admitted. But John's month-long battle with the disease ended in heartbreak. Katie was left having to say her last goodbyes in an isolated hospital room. When she saw her late husband's belongings, she immediately began to go through his phone, the last piece of John's life. And then she saw it, there on the phone where his last words left behind in a note. In his 33 years of life, Jonathan had an undeniable effect on people. His friends described him as an all-around amazing guy, according to interviews conducted by BuzzFeed News. In his obituary, loved ones wrote about how John had a smile that made anyone feel loved, and a hug that made you feel secure. John was also said never to hold a grudge or judge others. He was a New Englander through and through. He loved everything having to do with the New England Patriots and wouldn't miss watching a game. And it was in New England that his life would ultimately change forever. Jonathan's New England roots led him to apply to college not far from home at Western Connecticut State University. It was there that he met Katie. The two started out their relationship as close friends, but eventually that developed into something much greater. On a date in Boston, John finally made it official, asking Katie to be his girlfriend. Are you sure? Katie says she remembers responding, he was absolutely sure. After years of dating, John and Katie got married in 2013, starting what they thought would be a long and happy life together. But immediately they faced some extreme difficulties. Both Katie and John knew that they wanted to start a family together, but the road to parenthood was much more difficult than either of them had expected. Katie told BuzzFeed News that the couple suffered two miscarriages and had to turn to IVF to conceive. But in 2018, the couple's luck changed. The treatments had worked and Katie was ready to deliver a baby boy. But when their son Brayden was born, doctors immediately told them something was wrong. Their baby was given just six weeks to live. The doctors quickly diagnosed Brayden with cerebral palsy, along with a host of other neurological issues. For six long weeks, the new parents watched their son fight to survive. And then the six weeks passed and Brayden continued to thrive, followed by another year, followed by more months, stunning medical professionals. Together, the couple decided to share their son's progress on Facebook, creating a page called Journey for Brayden. Support and love poured in, but it wouldn't be enough to keep this growing family and their mountain of medical bills afloat. Brayden was continuing to thrive when the couple found out they were pregnant with baby number two, a girl. John worked overtime at Connecticut State Courthouse to make ends meet while his wife stayed home with the children. John was the sole provider for the family, his college friend Jacob Wyckoff told BuzzFeed News. He worked hard to make sure Katie didn't have to leave the house to take care of Ernie. But when it was his time with the kids, he really, really enjoyed it. And then the entire world changed. The news was almost like it was coming from a dystopian thriller movie. Like everyone else in the world, John and Katie were slowly starting to hear about a deadly virus that was making its way across the globe. But immediately, John took the news seriously. Brayden was considered to be high risk if he contracted COVID-19. My husband wore gloves, masks. He washed his hands, Katie said in an interview. He was so super vigilant because he was so afraid of what would happen to our son if he caught it. But there were some things that John just couldn't avoid. As a state employee, John was considered to be an essential worker and had to continue going into the courthouse every day. And on March 24th, he received a message that made his stomach drop. John was informed that he had been in contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19. John was in good health when he got the message. Still, out of an abundance of caution for his family, he quarantined himself in a separate room in the house. Within 24 hours, John's condition changed, beginning a series of events that would lead to tragedy. Jonathan was starting to get worried. Within the same day that he'd heard about his contact with the daily virus, he started coughing. And with the coughing fits, he wouldn't be able to catch his breath in between, Katie said in interviews. Performing even the most mundane daily tasks became too much for him. The short walk from his isolated bedroom to its attached bathroom would leave him out of breath. And as he waited out his illness, it progressively got worse. Within days, Jonathan was experiencing constant aching headaches. He had persistent stomach pains and couldn't taste or smell. It then worsened. He'd be laying in bed and he felt as if something was constricting his throat, Katie wrote in a Facebook post. All the while, Katie was struggling to watch her husband suffer from afar. As a sole caretaker of their children, Katie couldn't risk comforting her husband, hugging him, or even being in the same room as him. And before long, they wouldn't even be allowed to be in the same home together. After Jonathan's situation was only worsening, the doctor told him to go to the hospital because he'd probably need nebulizer treatments, Katie said. Her husband was rushed to the hospital to be treated, and Katie was terrified for John's uncertain future. The couple was worried, but Katie was trying to remain optimistic. Her husband had been healthy all his life. He had no pre-existing conditions, never smoked, always took every single precaution to keep himself and his family healthy. He would be okay, she told herself. Having a spouse in the hospital is hard for anyone to go through. But for Katie, the situation was even worse and even more dire. Even as her husband struggled to breathe, Katie was only allowed to hear updates over the phone. Katie wasn't allowed in his hospital room, or even to enter the hospital at all. For every call from doctors informing her the medication they'd been trying wasn't working, she wasn't there to hold his hand, and soon she wouldn't even be able to hear her husband's voice. On March 31st, John called his wife to tell her the difficult news. I don't know why I put my phone on vibrate that night, but I did, Katie told BuzzFeed News, and I slept through a 4am phone call from him. On a voice message, John said his breathing got a little weird in the night, so they said they're gonna have to let his body rest so he could come home to me and the kids, and that he loved us, Katie recalled. It would be one of the last words she would hear in his voice. After that voicemail, John was placed on a ventilator. He was barely able to speak, but doctors hoped he would make a full recovery. After a week, the doctors tried to wake John up, but his breathing was panic. They Facetimed me and he just said, I love you and I'm sorry, and then they had to re-intubate him. John's health continued to worsen. His kidneys were failing, and his fever rose by the day. He was barely able to speak to his family on the phone over the roar of his ventilator, but then there was a sliver of hope. The constant chain of bad news phone calls was finally broken when Katie got word that John's health was improving. Doctors began lessening his medications. They wanted to try taking John off his ventilator for periods of time to see how he would respond. At 9pm one night, Katie received an update from the doctor that the trials have been successful. The doctor I'd spoken to said, we're gonna be able to wake your husband up in two days, Katie said, and they started talking to me about recovery. Hours after Katie hung up the phone, John's condition suddenly took a turn for the worse, and on April 22nd, 28 days after John first began battling COVID-19, and 20 days after he'd been placed on the ventilator, the husband and father of two passed away. He was just 32 years old. News of his cardiac arrest, which led to his death, came as a shock to Katie and her family. They had just received a positive prognosis. Doctors said he was getting better. She was just discussing his recovery, and she'd just heard his voice, his last words out loud to her. She hadn't gotten to say goodbye. But she was about to find out that John had already left behind one final note. It had been a month since Katie was able to touch her husband or even come close to him, but after he'd passed, the doctors allowed her to come to the hospital to say her final goodbyes to her college sweetheart. I was able to sit with Jonathan in the ICU after it happened. Katie wrote on the Journey for Brayden Facebook page, I just sat, cried, and told him how much the kids and I loved him. When it was finally time to go, Katie was given a bag with the items John had left behind, including his iPhone. When Katie was handed the bag of John's belongings, she immediately began to go through his phone, collecting memories of her husband. She saved pictures and videos. She took screenshots of text messages, trying to keep every last trace of her husband's memory alive. Then she opened his notes app. Written at the top of his most recent note were some necessary instructions, things like passwords and instructions for paying the mortgage. And then below it, he'd left one last note to his wife and children, his last words to be read by the people he loved the most. The first words gave Katie chills. The note was dated right before John began to be intubated, the same night Katie had missed his phone call. I love you guys with all my heart, and you've given me the best life I could have ever asked for, it started. I'm so lucky, it makes me so proud to be your husband and the father to Brayden and Penny, he wrote. And then he began what would be his final goodbye to his wife, the love of his life. Katie, you're the most beautiful, caring, nurturing person I've ever met, Jonathan wrote. You were truly one of a kind. Make sure you live life with happiness and that same passion that made me fall in love with you. The note continued, seeing you be the best mom to the kids is one of the greatest things I've ever experienced. Let Brayden know he's my best bud and I'm proud to be his father and for all the amazing things he's done and continues to do. Then he Let Penelope know she's a princess and can have whatever she wants in life, Jonathan wrote. I'm so lucky. And in his final goodbye, Jonathan had one last message for his wife about her future. Don't hold back, he said. And if you meet someone, know that if they love you and the kids, that I love that for you, he wrote. In his last line, he declared, always be happy no matter what. Through tears, Katie read the message in disbelief. There was no doubt in Katie's And this note was just another reminder of how thoughtful and caring Jonathan was and how much he'd be missed. I'm so thankful I found the note, but the other part of me is sad, Katie said in an interview, because I know how scared he was and where his mind must have been to think he had to write something like that. After reading the note, Katie knew what she had to do. With a global pandemic ravaging the entire globe, Katie knew that it was hard for people to So she decided to share her husband's story on her family's Facebook page. Within minutes, the note began to gain attention around the world. Newspapers were writing about her husband, and television shows were reaching out for interviews. But most importantly, Katie was consumed by an outpouring of love and support. And then one day she gave her followers yet another update. I'm so grateful people have been able to hear his words and see who he was, because Jonathan deserves every single praise for being the man he is, Katie wrote on Facebook. I've heard from all over the world what an amazing man he is, and how his love for us is undeniable. But with that being said, Katie had another announcement to share. She was taking a step back from all the interviews and all the social media accounts in order to properly grieve. But by that time, millions of people around the world knew about her husband, his touching last words, and his incredible heart. In the months since Jonathan passed away, Katie and her children have celebrated birthdays, birthdays of preschool, and successful milestones in Brayden's fight against his neurological issues. But for Katie, there will always be a void that will never be filled. The Facebook page that Katie and Jonathan had created to celebrate their son's accomplishments has turned into a place that celebrates Jonathan's incredible life. And while he might not be there in person, Katie says that her children will always grow up with their father in their lives.