News Anchor Reveals Dad Died of Coronavirus Alone Without Family

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Adam Kuperstein reveals his father died of coronavirus complications alone while his family was informed of the devastating news miles away through the phone.

In an emotional Instagram post published Monday, the NBC New York anchor said his dad — who he called “Aba" (which means dad in Hebrew) — “died with a stranger holding his hand” in an Indianapolis ICU.

Because hospitals have barred visitors to prevent spread of COVID-19, Kuperstein’s family was restricted from seeing the patriarch during his final moments.

“All we could do was listen on the phone (from our separate quarantines), choking back tears, as the nurse informed us, ‘his heart stopped,’” the journalist wrote alongside the last photo he took of his father. “That’s when our hearts broke.”

To make matters worse, the reporter is unable to physically console his mother, who also contracted the virus and was forced to quarantine at home while her husband passed away.

“And I can’t even hug my mom!” Kuperstein exclaimed. “She tested positive for COVID-19 too. Only minor symptoms thankfully, but at a time where she needed someone to comfort her, she was alone.”

“It’s the cruelest part of this nightmare. She deserves better. He deserved better,” he added.

Kuperstein remembers his father — the son of Holocaust survivors — as a loving, hard-working man who always put family first.

“My dad came to this country with nothing, the son of Holocaust survivors, and achieved so much,” Kuperstein wrote. “He made sacrifices for his family and taught his boys how to become gentlemen, never asking for anything in return. Just love.”

To honor his dad’s memory, Kuperstein urges everyone to follow federal safety guidelines, and to express gratitude to our courageous medical workers who selflessly risk their lives for our well-being.

“And please send as much love as possible to the heroic health care workers trying to save us. My family never got to meet the nurses and doctors who cared for my Aba. But I know they did everything they could, even though it meant putting their own lives at risk,” he said.

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My dad died with a stranger holding his hand. With his wife of 43 years forced to stay inside their home, all alone. With his sons, stuck in the epicenter of this crisis, where never-ending sirens echo throughout a deserted city. All we could do was listen on the phone (from our separate quarantines), choking back tears, as the nurse informed us, “his heart stopped.” That’s when our hearts broke. We were shattered. A week of picturing the strong man we called “Aba,” connected to a ventilator in an Indianapolis ICU, was bad enough, but now we were forced to imagine life without him. I couldn’t. I can’t. And I can’t even hug my mom! She tested positive for COVID-19 too. Only minor symptoms thankfully, but at a time where she needed someone to comfort her, she was alone. It’s the cruelest part of this nightmare. She deserves better. He deserved better. My dad came to this country with nothing, the son of Holocaust survivors, and achieved so much. He made sacrifices for his family and taught his boys how to become gentlemen, never asking for anything in return. Just love. So please pay tribute to my dad by protecting your loved ones and yourself as the coronavrius crisis grows. Don’t overlook symptoms just because you don’t have a cough or shortness of breath. My father’s symptoms were digestive at first. My mom mainly lost her sense of taste and smell. And please send as much love as possible to the heroic health care workers trying to save us. My family never got to meet the nurses and doctors who cared for my Aba. But I know they did everything they could, even though it meant putting their own lives at risk. This is the last picture we took together. It wasn’t supposed to be. He had so much more love to give. We miss you Aba! #stayhome #coronavairus #covid19

A post shared by Adam Kuperstein (@akuperstein) on Apr 6, 2020 at 5:43am PDT