It's one of the most heartbreaking stories
we've brought you during the pandemic,
a husband choosing to be with his dying wife
no matter what the risks.
Now this love story has its final chapter with no regrets.
Hi, honey.
It was the video that moved all of us,
a devoted husband bidding farewell to his wife of 30 years
as she lay dying of COVID-19.
I love you, sweetheart.
I love you so much.
Sam Reck was warned
he was putting himself at risk
but nothing would deter him from saying goodbye
to his wife, Joanne.
You don't recognize me with all this junk on my face but
it is Sam.
He was issued personal protective equipment
as he sat at her bedside
at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center in Florida,
holding her hand one last time.
I'm finally getting to hold your hand
after all these months.
Feel me squeezing your hand?
I'm squeezing your hand.
Joanne smiled and returned the squeeze.
Before she was stricken,
Joanne would be taken to Sam's nursing home
where Sam spoke to her from the balcony.
They were even dubbed Romeo and Juliet.
Hi, deary!
Hey, baby!
Now despite all the precautions,
the worst fears have been realized.
Just days after his last visit, Sam caught a fever.
He tested positive for COVID-19.
Over the weekend,
Sam's family announced the heartbreaking news.
He was gone.
It was a shock.
We heard
he was getting better and then he would get worse
and he was getting better.
I never had any doubt that he would beat this thing.
It was not mean to be.
He died in the very same room Joanne died just weeks ago.
This is the room where he was holding her hand
and now he's in the same bed dying.
It was crazy.
I love you, sweetheart.