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My husband, Juan Andres Ollarvide was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, at Mount Sinai in New York on December 12, 2019. He had begun targeted chemotherapy at Memorial Sloan Kettering on January 20, 2020, with an incredible response to his first and successive rounds of treatment. His only side effect was slight fatigue and he was even working remotely from New York doing engineering CAD design for his clients. At the beginning of March, we visited friends and family in Florida during a break between treatment rounds. Everyone was surprised at how great he looked. He was kicking cancer’s ass and looking forward to doing many more things in his life. On April 1st, he got a fever and on April 2nd he was diagnosed with COVID-19. He was transported by EMS to Harlem Hospital on April 8th and on April 20th he left us. I was fortunate enough to be able to go in and see him twice. I guess they bent the rules at Harlem Hospital. He was in an induced coma both times but I know that he heard me the last time because some tears rolled out of the side of his left eye and he blinked. Juan was a huge jokester who loved making people laugh and lit up every room he entered. He was the guy everyone remembered in a good kind of way. On December 18, 2021, our only child will be getting married and he won’t be there to walk her down the aisle. We miss him every day, but we know that he is alright.

Sally M Ollarvide, Florida

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