Phoenix mother of 7 left devastated after husband dies from COVID-19

PHOENIX - The family of a Phoenix man is left heartbroken after losing a father of seven to COVID-19.

38-year-old Marco Nira worked hard to provide for his big family. Now, his wife is a single mother trying to lay him to rest.

"He was in there for 26 days. 17 days on a ventilator," says Alyse Montano. Days went by with no answers for her and her family.

In less than a month, she lost her husband, the love of her life who she shared seven children with. "It's the most awful, awful feeling I've ever experienced."

She felt helpless watching her husband's oxygen levels drop, his fever shoot up and his ability to speak, gone.

Now, Montano is a single mother of four daughters and three sons. "I've had a lot of trouble dealing with it 'cause that was my best friend. That was my other half. That was my heart, my soul, my everything."

Loved ones say he was the definition of a family man, working hard as a mechanic and dedicating his weekends to quality time with his children.

His oldest, Aniya Trejo, shared a milestone with him before he became sick. "Two days before he went to the hospital, he went to get my first car. He was there to check it out for me and everything and make sure everything's OK for me," she remembered.

Montano has never been more afraid of what's next, she says, because her husband is all she knows. "Losing my mind, my grip in life. I'm afraid I'm gonna fail my kids. He was the other half in everything," she said.

The family is raising money for Nira's memorial service and the link can be found here https://gofund.me/45efdb80