Son remembers his mother who died of COVID-19 as a loving, dedicated healthcare worker

NAVAJO COUNTY, Ariz. - Navajo County is one of the places hardest hit by the coronavirus in Arizona.

We're learning of a woman well-loved in Winslow who died from the virus. She helped those with coronavirus until she got it herself.

Arniece Brown was absolutely loved by her community and it was shown as they held a parade for her. Sadly, her son Darius Thomas says that she was just two days away from making a full recovery.

"My mom was my best friend and it hurts not having my mother here," he said.

Flowers now sit in the front of the place Brown worked as a nurse for 18 years, the Little Colorado Medical Center in northern Arizona.

"Yes, she was worried but at the same time she put everyone before herself. So she was more worried about the people in the community," her son said.

Thomas says his mother tested positive for the virus two weeks ago and her symptoms were fever and shortness of breath.

"She made it almost through her 14-day quarantine isolation and it just hit her two days before she was supposed to be released," Thomas said, adding, "She was here at home and my little brother had to call me because I was out of town and he had to tell me that my mother was fighting for her life right then and there. And the paramedics were here working with her and they couldn’t revive her."

He said his mother was a praying woman who devoted her life saving others. She was also a great mother and grandmother.

"Her heart was so big," her son said.

Thomas now has a message for everyone. "It’s very scary whats going on and with it hitting this close to home it kind of just opens your eyes and makes you realize its not a joke," he said.

The hardest thing, he said, was not being able to hug his loved ones who are inside the home where his mother passed away.