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'I don't want any family to have to go through this': Maine widow pleads for public to take COVID-19 seriously

Sheryl Keene's husband Tom died with COVID-19 Monday. He was a former Skowhegan fire chief and is described as "a fantastic husband, father, grandfather."

SKOWHEGAN, Maine — Sheryl Keene is left heartbroken after her husband and the love of her life died with COVID-19 on Monday.

"I don't want any family to have to go through this. It's awful," Sheryl said.

The Skowhegan resident said she and her husband Tom, 66, were exposed to the virus while hanging out with a few friends on Halloween. 

Sheryl tested positive days later and at the end of her recovery, Tom started to not feel well. He ended up going to the hospital where he tested positive and was diagnosed with pneumonia.

"He went downhill extremely fast. His lungs filled up in no time. I saw an x-ray of the lungs and they were extremely bad," Sheryl said.

Sheryl said she only got to see him a few times before he passed.

"Going to miss him terribly. But I know he's not suffering right now. He was a fantastic husband, father, grandfather. He loved his community. He would do anything for his community," she said.

Tom was a former Skowhegan fire chief. He was also a diabetic and had to have both of his legs amputated years ago. But Sheryl said it never stopped him.

"He was on the go all the time. Took care of the yard. He would get on his lawn mower or in his wheelchair and blow leaves. He was always busy," Sheryl said.

As the holidays approach and the number of cases and deaths increase, Sheryl is pleading for people to take the virus seriously and think twice about getting together with family.

"Unfortunately we made a very bad choice on the night we were all together with some friends. It was a very, very small gathering. Very small. There was only a few of us there. We didn't have masks on and we probably should have, and that was a bad decision on our part. And unfortunately, now we've paid the consequence," she said.

Sheryl hopes no one else has to pay the consequence.

"Take care of your loved ones. I still hear people say this is fake, it's going to go away. It's here, and it's killing people everyday. It's killing loved ones. The only way we can help each other is to wear our mask and be careful. We lost a person we dearly love," Sheryl said.

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