CLEVELAND — In 2020, we first brought you the devastating story of a Cleveland husband and father who lost his wife to COVID-19.
“It was the most devastating heartbreak I have ever faced or dealt with in my life [I was broken and] in shambles, didn’t know which way to go, didn’t know which way to turn,” said Ramath Mizpeh Warith Sr.
In May 2020, the day after Mother’s Day, Ramath's wife Sierra, 24, died of COVID-19. Sierra stayed alive just long enough to deliver her baby whom she never got the chance to meet.
Today, that newborn baby is a lively 3-year-old named Zeph. He is so much like his mother Sierra, too, with a vast interest in learning and studying. Before Sierra’s passing, she was gearing up to graduate from ophthalmology school.
“Sierra and Zeph still have a connection,” said Ramath. “He had an opportunity to be with her even though he didn’t have an opportunity to meet her…but he was always with her…and he still has that bond.”
Ramath wishes Sierra was around to see his boys grow – stating the reality of that is the hardest part.
“When they do little things that should be celebrated and we can’t celebrate with her," he said. " I have to celebrate with myself and I wish she would be here to see them.”
However, Ramath wants to make sure the loss of Sierra doesn’t define these two little boys. Because while Sierra isn’t physically with the boys, Ramath knows that she is watching over them.
“ I remember everything…all the laughter, the hugs, the kisses, the smiles. Just being able to come home and have someone to hug you and say goodnight and ask you about your day at work…bring you lunch. I miss everything. I have none of those things now,” said Ramath. “[But] I am thankful for everything. I am thankful for meeting her. I am thankful for loving her. I’m thankful for being able to talk about her. I think it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. I don’t take that for granted.”
