CNN’s Brianna Keilar Breaks Down While Sharing Tragic Clips of People Who Have Lost Family Members to Covid-19
CNN’s Brianna Keilar broke down on air Monday while sharing tragic clips of those who have lost family members to Covid-19 — urging viewers to remember the lives lost even if they are “tapped out” and “tired” of the pandemic.
As the United States coronavirus death toll nears 500,000, the CNN anchor shared several accounts of people who have lost loved ones, growing increasingly emotional with each devastating story.
She told the story of Erica Becerra, who died of coronavirus-related complications just two weeks after giving birth to her son. She was never able to hold her newborn before she died.
“Her last moments, she was tearing. I know she heard us. We prayed for her. We talked to her. We comforted her until the last moments,” Becerra’s grieving brother said in an interview following her passing. “She was like, mom, I don’t feel good. I don’t feel like myself. It’s hard to breathe. The weekend came along. The doctors saw that she wasn’t getting any better and they gave birth to her son. She had a normal labor. She gave birth to her son but didn’t get to hold him.”
After airing a series of clips showing family members mourning the losses of their loved ones, Keilar, now crying, predicted that these stories will impact those “numb” to the devastation caused by the pandemic.
“I know that these stories of our few Americans puncture that armor that is natural to have accumulated over the past year,” she said. “That’s okay. We need to remember the people that we have lost even if we didn’t know them personally. I know it is hard. I hear it from so many of you. I know you’re tired, I know you’re tapped out. It has been more than a year since the first reported coronavirus case.”
“The quarantining, the hoping that this would subside only to realize that it wouldn’t any time soon, the struggling to make ends meet, the worrying that if this is the day you might spike a fever or start to cough, the juggling your job while you’re homeschooling your kids, being afraid to see your grandparents, being afraid to see your grandkids, knowing that there is a vaccine that you and your loved ones can’t yet get, struggling with mental health,” she continued. “And for almost 500,000 Americans this past year, losing their lives. This is a collective loss. We’re taking this moment to acknowledge that. You are not alone. And if you are lucky enough to still have a little fuel in your tank today, it is a good day to remind someone in your life that you are there for them.”
The host then reminded viewers of CNN’s latest special We Remember 500,000 — a national memorial service for Covid-19 victims hosted by Jake Tapper.
Watch above, via CNN.
