CNN’s Brianna Keilar broke down during a segment about families who have lost loved ones to COVID as the United States marked 500,000 lives taken by the pandemic. The incredibly moving segment featured people talking about the last moments with their family members.
“I know that these stories of our fellow Americans puncture that armor that is natural to have accumulated over the past year. And that’s okay. We need to remember the people that we have lost,” said Keilar, wiping away her tears, “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.”
Added Keilar: “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. 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.”
