This Filipino couple's tragic love story amid COVID-19 lands on the New York Times

The heartbreaking love story of a Filipino couple, who both got infected with COVID-19 and yet only one made it through the pandemic, landed on the New York Times.

In New York Times' "Tiny Love Stories," a section that features stories in no more than 100 words, Sean Luke Dado narrated his love story with his late wife, Hazel.

Entitling his piece "Now I Know Why," Sean shared his pressing thoughts and questions about their relationship: Why they got married so young ages 20 and 21, how he could support a family when a baby arrived soon after, how he felt they were too young to be grandparents in their mid-40s.

"Then when Hazel passed away at 50 from the coronavirus, I finally realized why we got married so young: We weren’t meant to grow old together. And I am grateful for our time," Sean wrote.

In an interview with GMA News Online, he shared how he met Hazel: They were both in college, studying in the University of the Philippines. He was from the Los Baños campus, Hazel, from Diliman.

According to Sean, they met at a sports meet in the QC campus and went on their first date that very same night. 

Sean, who now owns a coffee plantation in Benguet, shared how he started writing her letters because didn't have any allowance to call her. It was something he continued to do, even after getting married, whenever he had to work away from home. Sean was going to mail his letter to Hazel, even if it meant driving for miles to find the post office.

"When the coronavirus started spreading around the world, we quickly followed all the protocols set by the DOH and the WHO," Sean told GMA News Online. "During the five months that we were in lockdown, Hazel only went out once, during the first month, to buy groceries."

Sean said that they followed everything: they avoided going out, wore masks, washed their hands frequently.

However, last July, Sean had to go to a drugstore to purchase medicine. Everything went south afterwards.

He said, "There was a man behind me on the line who started sneezing continuously, close to me. A few days later I felt unwell, but did not have a temperature, sore throat, or cough. I did not lose my sense of smell or taste. I felt ill, but did not think it was COVID-19 due to the lack of symptoms."

"Two days later Hazel and my adult daughter, Arielle, started becoming sick and on Sunday, July 19, we were able to get tested at the Philippine Lung Center after being denied testing on two other government facilities," he added.

Two days later, the swab test revealed that Sean, Hazel, their two daughters, and one of their grandsons were all positive with the virus.

But even before the test results came out, they had to rush Hazel to the hospital. Her oxygen level was down.

"She waited for 15 hours in the hospital corridor before a bed became available for her, while I waited outside in the parking lot. I never saw her again," Sean said.

Soon, the doctors decided they had to intubate her, which Hazel feared would put her in a coma.

"The children and I spoke with her on a video call, repeatedly trying to allay her fears that she might not wake up anymore. But she turned out to be right after all," Sean said.

"After the doctors decided to do an ECMO procedure five days later, she passed away on July 30, 2020, never regaining consciousness from being intubated. "

He added, "As she lay in a coma, we all said our tearful  goodbyes to her through a cellphone held in front of her by one of her doctors.  And then she was gone."

Sean said that there were numerous Zoom masses and memorial services for Hazel afterwards, but he couldn't talk about her without breaking down.

He shared that he had a niece who worked in New York City, who loved reading New York Times' Tiny Love Stories. If he wrote about Hazel, she said, everyone around the world can read it.

"So I sent the story, written in exactly one hundred words. The editor of the column sent me an e-mail the very next day expressing interest, and after hashing out the details, she chose the story not only for their online publication but also for print," Sean said.

"I’m happy because more readers will be able to know that there once was a person named Hazel, who was full of life and joy and kindness, but was not blessed by God to have a long life. So whatever time God gives people, they should be grateful for it, because some people’s journey are shorter than others."

According to Sean, one of the reasons he chose to tell Hazel's story is to remind people that COVID-19 is real.

"Beyond the numbers and statistics, there are faces and stories behind each death, with families who grieve and mourn their loved one’s passing," Sean said.

He added, "I look around outside, and I see people milling about, as if we have already won the war against the pandemic.  We haven’t yet, and I agreed to tell my story in the hope that it will make people realize that COVID is very much alive among us, an invisible enemy in a crowded society."

Although Hazel has already passed, Sean never stopped writing her letters.

Because he can't seem to speak about her without crying, he decided to put everything he wanted to tell her in letters, as he's always done.

"I’ve been doing it ever since; writing letters and tagging her on my posts, or posting it on her wall. I feel that whatever I want to say reaches her, through these letters," Sean said.

On Facebook, Sean can be seen consistently updating Hazel on what has been going on with their lives — how their grandson won't stop crying, how they finished decorating the Christmas tree, how he put her name on his arm permanently, and even how the packages she ordered just arrived.

"Hazel loved reading my letters when she was alive. I feel that she still loves reading them now," Sean said. — LA, GMA News