Anderson Cooper Breaks Down in Tears Over Healthcare Worker’s Harrowing Covid Fight
CNN’s Anderson Cooper broke down crying after a report about one Florida healthcare worker’s harrowing fight with the coronavirus, who remained upbeat and offered well wishes to the CNN anchor’s adopted son, Wyatt, even as she faces the possible amputation of her hands from the disease.
On Friday’s second-hour of AC360, the show broadcast a story from reporter Randi Kaye, who profiled a 41-year-old, wife and mother of two boys, Rosa Felipe, an EEG technician from Miami. Felipe likely contracted Covid-19 during her work at a hospital, where she has now been a patient in serious condition since early March. Felipe has two co-morbidities—asthma and diabetes—and spent two months on a ventilator. She has since recovered enough to breathe on her own, but the virus caused dangerous circulation issues in her hands, where blood costs caused her fingers to blacken and decompose. As a result, it’s now likely she will lose some of her fingers and may need both of her hands to be amputated.
During her interview with Kaye, Felipe talked about the five months of isolation away from her family and the moments where she though she was going to die.
“She admits she’s had some dark thoughts. So more than ever, she treasure’s life’s sweet joys,” Kaye noted.
“Could you please congratulate Anderson Cooper on his baby?” Felipe said.
“I certainly will. These are the things you think about when you’re laying in the hospital bed?” Kaye asked.
“Yeah. I’m happy that he has a baby, and he’s so cute.”
“Well, I will share your blessings with Anderson and Wyatt,” a smiling Kaye relayed.
When the video of Kaye’s report finished, a misty-eyed Cooper started to speak and then quickly broke down. Overcome by the moment, he pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes and Kaye beamed at the heartfelt concern Felipe had shown for others even as she suffered.
“So sweet, right?” Kaye said.
“I mean, wow, what she has been through,” Cooper replied once he regained his composure.
“And what she’s still going through, Anderson, and yet, that was the only time in our whole interview that she smiled was talking about you and Wyatt,” Kaye pointed out. “When we started talking about you, she’s really lit up. I think she’s clung to that as this bright spot in all of this. It was just really sweet, Anderson, and all she wanted to do was talk about you and baby Wyatt.”
“I want to talk to her,” a still emotional Cooper said. “Thank you, Randi. Appreciate it, and we wish her the best, and we hope she gets to be reunited with her kids really soon.”
Watch the video above, via CNN.
