A family in Utah has lost its matriarch after she contracted the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Patrice Grossman, a 49-year-old mother of five, died on Friday at the Utah Valley Hospital, the same facility where she was born, according to her family.
"Her husband and children were heartbroken that the coronavirus prevented them from being with her at the end," her obituary read.
Grossman was a registered nurse who "worked in the NICU until her death," her family said.
"She loved working with the newborn infants and helping to ensure they received the critical care they needed," the obituary read. "She was also accomplished at sewing and desired to make the world a better place. She never hesitated to provide assistance to others when asked to do so."
Her husband and children told ABC4 News that Grossman, along with the rest of the family, previously contracted COVID-19 from a friend who had been at their home. The family said Grossman fell ill again — starting with a sore throat — two weeks after she appeared to have recovered from the virus.
"Her lungs filled with fluid in less than five hours," her husband Bryan said.
Grossman was hospitalized on Friday and began experiencing numerous complications. According to her son Zathan, the ordeal took "from start to finish, probably six hours to find out our mother was dead."
"She was a strong and independent woman who fought many battles every day. In her last moments, she fought hard to stay with us, the nurses told me as much; But, sadly she wasn’t strong enough for this fight," the family said in a statement.
"Life feels emptier, and the world feels a little darker," they added. "She was someone who was taken too soon, and she will live on in the strong daughters and son that she raised. Who only hope they can live up to be at least half as amazing as she was."
A GoFundMe campaign created in support of the family said Grossman was told she had pneumonia and sepsis. The family said in the description of the page that she later tested positive for COVID-19.
"She was taken away from us too soon, by a virus that never should have gotten to the point that it did," her daughter Natasja wrote.
As of Wednesday, there have been more than 9,519,200 cases of COVID-19 in the United States and at least 233,100 coronavirus-related deaths, according to a New York Times database.
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.
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