Brooklyn Center woman dies from COVID-19 after giving birth

A Brooklyn Center woman died Sunday just weeks after giving birth to a daughter.

Data from the Minnesota Department of Health says 35-year-old Aurora Chacon Esparza died Sunday at North Memorial after a month of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome related to COVID-19.

Her husband, Juan, wrote on a GoFundMe that Aurora was 7 months pregnant when she first starting having COVID-19 symptoms. She got tested but the results came back negative, although the symptoms continued. About a week later, on June 14, she was admitted to a hospital with her condition worsening.

Her husband’s post says, on June 19, she was sedated and intubated and four days later a C-section was required to save the baby’s life because Aurora’s oxygen levels were dropping. Their daughter was born at 30 weeks old but is doing well, Juan’s post said.

Then, Aurora began to improve but things took a turn for the worse on July 7. She was put on a ventilator but died on the morning of July 19.

Click here to view the family’s GoFundMe page to help pay for medical costs.