THE WOODLANDS, Texas — David Gutierrez lived with his family in Tomball, but he spent the last five weeks of his life in a hospital in The Woodlands battling COVID-19. Most of that time, he was on life support and in a coma. But he wasn't alone.
Nearly every night at 7 p.m., his wife, Michelle, stood under his window and prayed for his recovery. She texted him frequently and wrote him letters twice a day -- once in the morning and again in the evening. The nurses read the letters to David.
David died on Friday. Near the end of his fight, Michelle was faced with two options.
"We can all be there and turn his machine off ... so we can be there when he passes. And I did not want to do that. The other option was to visit with him for about an hour and get the phone call ... when he passed," she said.
Michelle and David have five children. Wearing masks and protective equipment, they chose to visit David early in the morning and then wait for the call after they left. On the last day of David's life, Michelle returned to her regular perch under his window to pray.
Three hours later, David passed away. He was 53.
Michelle's faith has touched hearts around the world. She says God was able to give David what he needed most at that point in his life: peace and rest.
"Even though I didn't save David's physical life, He is with me. He is OK," Michelle said about God.
The couple was getting ready to celebrate their 10-year anniversary in September. Instead, the retired soldier will be buried next week at the veteran's cemetery.