The COVID pandemic not only tested the marriage of 24 years of Erica and Jesús Bravo but that of José and Yosahira Bravo with 4 years of marriage. Both married couples went through hell seeing their spouses sick with the virus, but they recovered and the traumatic experience left them more united than ever.
In the Bravo house, 5 adults live , two married couples, plus Natalie and 3 minor grandchildren in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in Los Angeles.
So it was not surprising that when one fell ill with COVID, the others follow him. The coronavirus hit Jesús Bravo, Erica’s husband; his daughter-in-law Yosahira; to his daughter Natalie from 29 years; and two grandchildren José Jr., 2 years old and Isaías Jesús, 1 year old.
No one can explain how Erica, the matriarch of the home, her son José de 25 years and her granddaughter Lexie Rose, Natalie’s daughter, who is turning 2 years old, did not get infected.
“ The first to be positive was my daughter-in-law Yosa, but not me. Then both children came out positive. So it was like a shock to discover that the virus was in the house, and that my daughter and my husband also had it “, says Erica.
” We started a family isolation plan for all the sick in one room, but it was not easy because the children did not want to be locked up or wear masks. And it was a challenge to be constantly disinfecting and cleaning everything. ”
The most difficult thing was overcoming fear. “ You get fear, uncertainty. You wonder what is going to happen. Won’t they be able to breathe? We are going to die!”.
Erica reports that her husband became very weak. “Suddenly, he kind of couldn’t breathe, and it hurt to do so. He didn’t tell me anything because he didn’t want to worry me. ”
During those weeks in November, when they fell ill and were quarantined, he says that many people brought them food and left it at the door of their house . There was also no lack of donations of diapers for the children.
“ These are moments when you break down, and you can only trust God and his mercy “.
To their 49 year-old Jesus says he was surprised when he hit the coronavirus because he never got sick or suffered from any chronic health condition. But he was concerned when he was diagnosed positive. “I’m the only one who works at home, and there were two weeks left to pay the rent.”
In addition, he was worried about infecting his wife. And he definitely didn’t want to upset her. “ I lived through some very stressful days. The children screamed and cried. The fever would go up and down. It gave me diarrhea. My appetite was taken away. When he spoke, I got tired . ”
It was the care and medicines that his wife gave them, which he says, helped him to recover. “We did not take off our mask even to sleep.”
Jesus recognizes that getting COVID and being locked up, generated moments of tension and friction in the family.
“ Later we talked about it and we got over it, because it’s not about showing a happy face all the time. In the tests, we must support ourselves, know how to solve and ask for forgiveness ”.
Jesús, who in addition to working in a record production company, is a deacon of the Catholic Church of Santa Agatha in Los Angeles, says that the love of God and the family helped them to get ahead.
And although COVID, it has been one of the greatest challenges they have faced in their 24 years of marriage, they have suffered from everything.
“We have had problems of lack of money, operations, health, work”.
He remembers that once when he was taken to the hospital with a ruptured appendix, and his wife went to see him after the operation, she confessed that she had just been fired from work.
“No you worry. God provides ”, he said.
Deacon Jesus says that in the couple there are always different points of view, and he will see difficult moments. “When we feel that we are going to thunder, we must speak and remember that he encouraged us to get married or why I fell in love with that person.”
It specifies that in marriage when one falls, the other owes you lift up. “If we see the other fallen, we have to encourage him. Instead of fighting, you have to rely on penalties, concerns and challenges. ”
Erica intervenes to say that although COVID has locked us up, we should not take it as a jail but as an opportunity to get to know each other better and work in marriage “Love is a plant that must be watered constantly.” And he asks to put into practice the biblical quote: “ Love is helpful, patient, kind, generous, it supports everything, all for love ”.
The young couple
José Jesús Bravo Jr. and Yosahira Bravo have just overcoming the pandemic, the greatest challenge of their four years of marriage.
“ I used to pray for my wife. I thought I was going to die, and she is everything to me, my world. Then when they told me that our two children were also positive for COVID, I was very worried ”, says José.
It is not explained how Yosahira, his wife of 24 years old, he was infected with COVID, while he, sleeping next to him, came out negative to the test.
“I had to do it as a nurse. Take care of her and the children. Give them their medicines, their teas. ”
Yosahira says that what bothered her the most about becoming infected with COVID and putting herself in quarantine was separating herself from her children and not being able to continue breastfeeding the youngest of her children , only 8 months old at the time. “They were crying and it was devastating.”
She also admits that it was surprising to see how the roles were reversed between her and her husband , since she was the one who normally took care of them, and now it was José who cared for and fed them. “He was nervous and worried.”
Once they defeated the pandemic, José says that he is grateful to God for surviving the coronavirus.
And they agree on that the year 2020 put stress on the couples. “We couldn’t go out on dates, but we tried to have more communication, be creative, organizing field days with the children,” says Yosahira.
He also adds that the pandemic has been an opportunity to be more time with the family, building bonds and appreciating the little things.
José, who knew from three months of meeting Yosahira, that he was the love of his life and the right person, says that although Now you can’t travel, you always have to use your imagination. “You can watch a video of Cancun and imagine it’s there,” he says.
49 years of marriage
María de 70 years and Carlos Chiche of 74 years will celebrate 48 years of marriage at Christ the King Church in Hollywood, the 14 February. They are the parents of Regina, Diego, Juan Carlos, Mónica, Christine and grandparents of 7 grandchildren.
“If God allows it, we will go to Church to give thanks for our marriage,” says María .
Happily no one in your family has been affected by the coronavirus. But since Carlos has a lung transplant, and suffers from Parkinson’s, they are taking good care of him and avoiding going out. “The good thing that he can walk and listen to.”
María also takes care of her son Juan Carlos, who is almost 50 years, who is a person with special needs.
Despite the double job of taking care of her husband and her son, this mother says without qualms that the 2020 has been one of the best years of his life.
“ We have been more united. We have been able to talk more. It has been a blessing not only because we have been free of COVID but because all our children have jobs ”.
Also their faith and serving the Church – he assures – has given them a lot of strength . “If there was a moment years ago when we thought about a separation, but we reconsidered, going to talks and to Church; and now we are more united, ”says Carlos.
Upon learning that the pandemic has led to many marriages ending, Carlos says that this time is not the time to think about separating but to join.
“ I have learned to understand my wife, to be humble and to be silent when necessary. Before she would tell me one thing, and I would repeat three . When we got married, they told us it was for life. So you have to be aware of staying united.
Maria says that prayer for her husband and children has worked a lot for her. “We are more united than ever and holding on to God’s hand.”
Virtual blessing
On the occasion of World Marriage Day, this Sunday 14 February, at 10 am at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Los Angeles, Archbishop José H. Gómez will bless the couples at a mass in English. Mass in Spanish will be celebrated by Friar Brian Nunes at noon. Due to the pandemic, capacity is limited to 130 people.
In previous years, the Cathedral has invited couples to celebrate their anniversaries from 25 years of marriage, and renew their vows at a special mass. The couples received a certificate of commemoration. This time due to sanitary restrictions, there will only be a blessing in person and remotely for those who join the Mass virtually at: facebook.com/lacatholics and https://www.facebook.com/olacathedral/
