‘I Feel Like He’s Forgotten About’: MN Woman Seeks Answers In Husband’s COVID Death At Air Force Base – WCCO
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A Minnesota spouse is questioning her husband’s medical care after he turned the first active duty Air Force member to die of COVID-19.
Technical Sergeant Michael Morris was 36 when he died in January, alone in his house on base in Aviano, Italy.
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Months later, questions stay.
WCCO regarded into what occurred that’s left his household ready for solutions.
Amanda Morris admits to taking someday at a time.
It’s the one actual choice she has elevating a 13-, 11- and 5-year-old at house after dropping her husband.
Michael Morris had no underlying situations.
He referred to as for assist from his home on an Italian Air Drive base when he couldn’t breathe from COVID-19.
Solely to die, his spouse says, hours earlier than that assist ever got here.
“I really feel like him serving 15 years and this occurs to him, I really feel like he’s forgotten about,” Amanda Morris mentioned.
Michael Morris grew up in Cass Lake as a member of the Leech Lake Ojibwa tribe.
He signed as much as serve his nation within the Air Drive.
“That was every thing to him. Apart from me and the children he was all in regards to the mission, liked saving lives, the helicopters,” Amanda Morris mentioned.
His excursions of responsibility twice took him to Afghanistan and 3 times to Iraq, as his household settled on an air base in Italy.
COVID restrictions final yr saved the household on base and at house for lengthy durations of time.
As distance studying dragged on, Amanda flew again to Minnesota with the children for some assist ending out the varsity yr.
“He was as a consequence of be again this Might which clearly by no means occurred,” she mentioned.
Earlier than the vaccine was obtainable to him, Tech Sergeant Morris examined optimistic for COVID on Jan. 4.
He reassured his spouse his signs weren’t severe at the beginning.
However, as days glided by he received worse.
“It solely took two days and he expressed concern and was like, ‘I can’t breathe.’ He wasn’t going to name anyone except it was severe” Amanda Morris mentioned.
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The day earlier than he died, she says her husband requested his physician to go to the hospital just some miles from base.
However, she says as a consequence of overcrowding he was suggested to remain house.
“If he’s not in a position to take a full breath how would they not take him severe,” she mentioned.
On the night of Jan. 12, Michael referred to as for an ambulance. Then, his command to once more clarify his situation.
“He’s on the telephone with work and he passes away from cardiac arrest whereas he’s on the telephone with work,” she mentioned his supervisor would ultimately inform her.
All whereas his household, at midnight, celebrated his daughter’s fifth birthday, some 7,000 miles away in Minnesota.
Morris died alone.
“It’s been arduous,” his spouse mentioned.
Amanda says her husband’s supervisor advised her somebody from the bottom went to his home after he made that decision. They tried CPR to avoid wasting him, however it was too late.
She was advised it could nonetheless be hours earlier than an ambulance ever got here.
WCCO has been asking Aviano Air Base what precisely occurred on this case. Why Michael Morris was by no means seen by a health care provider, why he by no means went to the hospital and why did it take so lengthy for an ambulance to reach? For weeks our questions have gone unanswered. His spouse made a proper request for data in April and has but to listen to again.
“It’s fairly devastating for us to maintain ready for these solutions,” she mentioned.
Amanda believes medical employees ought to have saved higher observe of her husband.
The one clarification she’s obtained to date got here months after Morris died.
An post-mortem she shared with WCCO says “COVID-19 contaminated Morris’s lungs and coronary heart concurrently, however the coronary heart an infection (myocarditis) is what immediately induced his sudden dying.”
“Clearly, he wanted medical consideration and he didn’t obtain it,” she mentioned. “To serve for 15 years and for this to occur to him like I mentioned simply don’t perceive it.”
Morris’ dying has but to be declared an in-line of responsibility dying.
Amanda says that course of may take as much as two years.
Greater than 50 service members have died from COVID-19 for the reason that begin of the pandemic.
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The Pentagon says none had been totally vaccinated.
