SAN ANTONIO — For those who have not lost someone to COVID-19, the numbers may be numbers. But those numbers represent real people, and one of those is Elisa Hinojosa, who lost a month-long battle with the novel coronavirus in October.
Her husband, Randy, had it too, but he survived.
"I miss her," he said. "I miss her quite a bit."
The couple was married for 26 years.
"Elisa was a blessing to me and my family everyone around her," Hinojosa said.
Two weeks after her passing, her husband got an idea: He wanted to make a video that he and his kids could watch to remember happier times and beloved memories with Elisa. Their youngest daughter took him outside to make the video, including in it various pictures of the family together.
"During the video, I express my emotions for Elisa and my love as I always did when she was here," Hinojosa said.
His daughter thought it was so beautiful that she shared it on TikTok, where the family said it garnered tens of thousands of views in just a couple days.
There were also thousands of comments that Hinojosa has responded to personally, including one saying: "I understand your pain. We just lost our mom to COVID on 10/20/20. My dad's devastated."
Part of Hinojosa's reply read, "Our angels are spreading their wings in heaven. And one day we will all be together again!"
Along with the touching viral video, he carries around a mask wherever he goes—a tribute to his late wife and a reminder to others of the importance of wearing a mask as the pandemic continues.
"I'm going to use mama as my angel just to remind people."
He also welcomes comments on the video as a form of therapy that can go both ways.
"Let's pray through comment," Hinojosa said. "Let's take steps together. That's something Lisa would do if the roles were turned."
To find the video, search for the handle @Imthatrandy7 on TikTok.
Just search for the handle@Imthatrandy7 on TikTok.