Man Was Looking Forward to the Birth of His First Grandchild, but Died Just a Few Minutes before It

Florida resident Shane O’Neal passed away from COVID-19 minutes before his daughter gave birth to his first grandchild. She was told of his death while in labor.

Nearly two years since it first spread across borders, COVID-19 continues to take away the lives of innocent people and tear families apart.

One victim is Shane O’Neal, a 40-year-old man who couldn’t wait to become a grandfather. According to his daughter, Kylie Dean, the Florida man was “super excited” to meet his first grandchild.

“Every time he’d go to the store, he’d pick up some baby clothes or baby toys,” she shared. Sadly, O’Neal missed the birth of his grandson, Preston, by 19 minutes.

At 3:00 am on September 3, Dean received a call from her father’s doctor, asking her to prepare for the worst. The doctor said:

“I’m really sorry to tell you this right now, but your father just, despite all efforts, he’s basically not going to make it.”

She was with her husband, family, and friends when she received the news, and immediately, she broke down and cried. O’Neal passed away from COVID-19 at 3:30 am, while his daughter gave birth to Preston at 3:49 am.

Grief hit the baby’s father, and he began to resent that his wife kept their child away from his mom.

Unfortunately, O’Neal was not vaccinated against the virus but was scheduled to receive his first dose only days after contracting COVID-19.

Dean recalled her father as someone with a great sense of humor. “He did anything and everything for me and my brother,” she shared. To them, he was nothing less than a “great dad.”

Like O’Neal, another woman passed away before she could meet her grandchild. A post on Reddit shared about a woman who battled cancer for three years and had limited time left.

Because of complications, the baby was born prematurely and had to be incubated for a few weeks. When the newborn was allowed home, the mother was hesitant to bring the baby out of the house.

She asked her husband to wait a bit longer before their child could meet the grandmother. Sadly, the grandmother died before ever meeting the baby.

Grief hit the baby’s father, and he began to resent that his wife kept their child away from his mom. Losing a loved one can be very painful and hard to deal with, especially when they die unexpectedly.

The death can even affect other relationships and cause tension among family members. However, there are many ways to cope with such circumstances, including talking to someone, planning death anniversaries, and remembering the departed.

One widow, Bobbie-Jo Floyd, overcame the grief of losing her husband by adopting six children. According to the woman, her late spouse played a part in bringing the kids into her life.