[Sciutto:] Listen, you've seen the numbers, they're on our screen every day. Nearly 217,000 American lives lost, more than 1 million have died around the world. These are all real people with families, real loss.
[Harlow:] Totally right. But for one Arizona family, the heartbreak is almost unimaginable. They have lost eight family members from COVID, and their livelihood. Our national correspondent Miguel Marquez joins us this morning with their story. Good morning, Miguel.
[Miguel Marquez, Cnn National Correspondent:] Good morning. It's so hard to make that connection between those numbers and real people because many of those deaths have been behind closed doors, they happened in hospitals. Here's what devastation looks like from the inside.
[Ricardo Aguirre, Lost Family And Business To Covid-19:] I don't want to cry just because I'm I know God has something better for me
[Marquez:] Ricardo Aguirre.
[Aguirre:] but it's hard not to it's just you know, the
[Marquez:] The coronavirus killed his father and seven other family members, he says. It took his business, it sickened him, his wife who was then four months pregnant and two of his kids.
[Aguirre:] I feel very incompetent, a man not being able to go back to where it was. I lost my dad. It's very hard, it's hard.
[Marquez:] He doesn't know how they contracted the virus. They wore masks and used sanitizer constantly. It swept through his family in May. His father fought the virus for months.
[Aguirre:] My dad, unfortunately, you know, he passed away on September 11th in my arms at 3:30 in the morning. It was very hard because we did everything together, 42 years being by his side.
[Marquez:] His mother is home and still fighting the effects of the virus. Now, he spends his days shuttling her to hospital visits, helping his wife now eight months pregnant dealing with an ever-increasing pile of bills, all this with little income and no health insurance. You don't have medical coverage?
[Aguirre:] I don't have medical coverage at all. It's just too much, it's
[Marquez:] Even Obamacare, even
[Aguirre:] No.
[Marquez:] You just can't afford anything?
[Aguirre:] I can't afford it, it's just too much. Literally, another house payment.
[Marquez:] Aguirre and his family built Tacos y Tamales Puebla. He had a food truck, a prep kitchen in downtown Phoenix, and a long list of corporate and wedding clients.
[Aguirre:] This is what's left of 10 years of hard work.
[Marquez:] You were living the American dream?
[Aguirre:] Yes, I was. Come visit us. As you can see, we are busy.
[Marquez:] When COVID-19 cases in Arizona jumped and the economy shut down, Aguirre watched all his catering jobs scheduled for the next year evaporate. His food truck was repossessed, he couldn't pay rent on his prep kitchen. When did it all come to a halt?
[Aguirre:] March 17th.
[Marquez:] COVID?
[Aguirre:] Yes.
[Marquez:] Overnight?
[Aguirre:] Yes, just like that.
[Marquez:] Aguirre would like the president to understand just how devastating the disease is for some. When he says, "Don't be afraid of COVID, don't let it dominate your life," what do you say to him?
[Aguirre:] May God continue to bless you and your family.
[Marquez:] But how does the real world deal with COVID?
[Aguirre:] It's bad, it's bad.
[Marquez:] Aguirre is now looking forward to the big day in November, November 7th, the day his first daughter is due to be born.
[Aguirre:] We felt that we were ready financially and we were ready, you know, emotionally, you know, to take care of another human being. Now, with this going on, I just ask God for strength to get me by another day.
[Marquez:] The real toll of the coronavirus on one American family. Now, since we shot that story a week ago, Mr. Aguirre has had his van repossessed, he is the story, thankfully, has helped I think, and he's trying he's raising some money. Also the name of his daughter, Guadalupe de Jesus, named after the Virgin Mary and Jesus. despite everything he's been through, his faith? Completely intact back to you guys.
[Harlow:] Unbelievable, Miguel.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Harlow:] What a story. I don't know if you could send us where people could donate to help if they are raising some money, but we'd love to put that out there. So we'll try to do that, Miguel. Thank you
[Marquez:] Will do, will do.
[Harlow:] thank you for that reporting.
[Marquez:] You got it.
[Sciutto:] Just too much for any family to bear, heartbreaking to hear it.
[Harlow:] And yet still has blessings for everyone else. Thank you for being with us today. We'll see you back here tomorrow. I'm Poppy Harlow.
[Sciutto:] And I'm Jim Sciutto. NEWSROOM with John King will start right after a short break.