Family speaks out over beloved grandmother who died from COVID-19

A Coachella Valley family is mourning the loss of a beloved grandmother and community member. Ramona Lujan, 70, died on Friday after suffering Coronavirus complications. She was a mother of 8 children, a grandmother to 29 children, and great-grandmother to 14 children.

Lujan's daughter, Deanna Mendoza, told News Channel 3 on Tuesday that after realizing her mother was not going to make it, "[we told] her that we loved her so much and she's going to be so missed, and our hearts are broken."

Mendoza said it all happened so fast. On Wednesday she was tested and by Friday, July 17 Lujan was in the emergency room fighting for her life.

"Two days of vomiting and diarrhea and then she couldn’t breathe. It went straight to her lungs and it turned into pneumonia," Mendoza said.

The family was left having to communicate with Lujan through the phone and FaceTime calls.

"It was so hard, she would call me every 30 minutes, an hour, sometimes she was scared. Sometimes she just didn’t feel good and I would calm her down. Then she’d call me back and say, 'you know mija, I’m okay, I feel better. Thank you for calling."

Mendoza said her mother acted with extreme caution by staying home and always wearing a mask. She said Lujan had underlying health conditions. She believes her mother contracted the virus after a neighbor asked Lujan for a ride. Mendoza said the woman had been sick, and rode in the car with Lujan unmasked, before going into her home. She said her mother was unaware at the time that the woman had been sick. She believes her mother's death could have been prevented.

The family described Lujan as a strong, single mother. She also was known for her tireless work within her community. Lujan volunteered at the Coachella Senior Center for years.

On Friday Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez posted to Facebook honoring Lujan with heartfelt condolences and a look back at her legacy. In the post he wrote: "She dedicated 1000s of hours of community service at our senior center and was an overall great person." The posted went onto say that Ramona "will be missed," and identified her as the Senior Inspiration Award recipient in 2014.

"Ramona was always giving of her time. She was always giving more to others," Mayor Hernandez said.

The family has begun organizing funeral services.

Despite mourning the loss of their beloved matriarch, they want the community to realize just how important it is to wear a mask, and save lives.

"I think that’s the key. It’s not for you, it’s to protect innocent people that shouldn’t get it that you come in contact with. You have to raise awareness that if you’re sick, you need to stay home, you need to wear your mask, you need to be considerate of the most vulnerable people, which are the elderly and the little children. My mom shouldn’t have died," Mendoza said.