Fort Smith rallies around man whose wife died of COVID-19 weeks after giving birth – Times Record

While his journey as a young father has been marked byheartache, Eric Robison is learninghow to make it workwith the support of the Fort Smith community.

Robisonfirst met with his future wife, Emily, on Facebook in 2017. Helivedin Houston, and she lived in Poteau, Oklahoma.

We talked for four weeks and then I drove in the middle of the night to pick her up and she never left after that, said Eric, 23.

Emily said she had been hurt too much in the past and they were makingitlast or it was not happening.

The couple met in August and were married by October.They moved to Fort Smith in 2020.

This year would have been their four-year anniversary.

Emily was admitted to Mercy Hospital in August while 28 weeks pregnant with their daughter, Carmen.

After spending three days on a breathing machine andnot improving,Eric was told to Facetime his wife and tell her it wouldlikely bethe last time they talked for a while.

"I Facetimed her and told her I loved her,"Eric said. "She started crying and asked if I was giving up on her. I was like, 'No'and promised her she would come back to me."

It was the last time Eric spoke to his wife.She died Sept. 20 of complications from COVID-19.

Emily Robison was 22.

Emily wanted a childalmost theentire time they had been together. Eric was always reluctant for them to get pregnant because of Emilys asthma.

"I was like this could end terribly, I could be a single dad,"Eric said. "I knew from the beginning I could be a single dad.Thatsalways been a worry of mine, and its happening, so."

Carmen was born Aug. 25 after an emergency cesarean section.Emily improved slightly after giving birth, but her health took a turn for the worse shortly after.

Handling the death of his wife and figuring out how to go forward for his daughter has not been easy.

"Its like sitting on your arm, and making it go numb, and the numbing never going away,"Eric said. "Youre trying to focuson what to do but youre so numb and your vision is always like blurry."

While he figures out his new normal, the community has rallied around the father and daughter, with the help of a local nursewho made it her mission to help the young family.

AshleeSchwartz had just started her shift when noticed a 22-year-old woman listed as one of thepositive COVID-19 patients in Mercys ICU.

Schwartz was struck by her young age. When she went to check on the woman, she found Emily in critical condition and in a medicallyinduced coma.

Later, Schwartz saw Eric staringemptilyinto Emilys room.

"Especially as an ICU nurse, the reality of life with this virus is any patients story could very well be our own story someday and I just thought tomyself, 'What if this was me sitting in a chair staring into my husbands room.'"

After learning the couple really only had clothes, she got Eric's permission to start a baby registry for Carmen.Schwartz later created aGoFundMe page for father and daughter.

The "Pay it Forward"fundraiser has raised nearly$25,000 since Oct. 3.

Eric saidit'slike his life has been sped up in recent weeks as his story has gone viral.

Hestalkedwith local,nationaland internationalnews outlets. He had to make his Facebook private and has more than 500 unread messages.

"I remember asking (Ashlee), 'Where do I go from here?'"Eric said. "'What do I do? What do you do afteryouvelost your wife? Is there a right way to do something,is there a wrong way?'"

Eric said the registry and GoFundMe have helped tremendously and gave him time to mourn without worrying if Carmen will have what she needs.

"To see our home literally overflowing with gifts for Carmen is beyond heartwarming,"Schwartz said. "Nearly all the items on the 'PayItForward'baby registries are gifted. My heart filled with so much joy and excitement seeing UPS/Fedexdeliver gifts daily for the past month and opening each box to see what gift arrived. I can only imagine how excited Emily would be if shewashere."

Life is still weird, Eric said.

"Three months ago Emily and I were at Eufala swimming, her being pregnant," Eric said. "Now she's gone. I'm on national TV time flies by so fast."

Through everything that's happened, Carmen, who has grown from around 2 pounds to more than 6, has been the bright spot for Eric.She's starting to recognize the world around her. After more than two months in the hospital, Carmen is set to go home Nov. 1.

Emily had chubby cheeks, which Eric loved about her. Carmen has the same cheeks.

"She looks just like her mom," Eric said. "She's identical to her mother."

Abbi Ross is the city reporter at the Southwest Times Record.She can be reached at aross@swtimes or on Twitter at @__AbbiRoss

See the article here:

Fort Smith rallies around man whose wife died of COVID-19 weeks after giving birth - Times Record