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As coronavirus cases in nursing home rise, family mourns brother lost to COVID-19

Almost every single confirmed coronavirus case in McMinn County can be traced to a single nursing home there.

At the Life Care Center of Athens, the 911 calls keep coming--and they all have something in common. 

Call after call, nurses tell dispatchers the patient is having trouble breathing and has tested positive for coronavirus. 

One of those 911 calls was for Connie Brumbaugh's brother Jackie Goins, 57. 

She remembers him as loving UT football and the beaches of Florida. 

"He had a great sense of humor. Never met a stranger. I mean he could be in Walmart and he'd talk you to death no matter who you are," she said.  

The 57-year-old died Saturday after days on life support. 

"My brother was doing well, and then all of a sudden he's gone."

Brumbaugh said he tested negative before being transferred back to the nursing home a couple weeks ago. He got sick, then sicker, before she said Goins begged nurses to call an ambulance. 

"He said he was dying. He knew. He knew he was really bad sick," she said.  

Within 24 hours of hospitalization and a positive coronavirus test, her brother was on life support.

Goins and three other residents at the nursing home have died, and more than 60 other residents have tested positive so far.

Sandy Ward's 77-year-old mother Charlotte is one of them.

"I am in contact with them every single day. If they don't call me, I call them," she said. "It is disheartening, but knowing she's in a place that's taking good care of her makes me feel a lot better." 

Ward said her mother has not developed symptoms and she's confident the nursing home is doing everything it can to keep her safe. 

But for the families in mourning, the loss hits hard. 

"Mostly what hurt the most is not being able to be there for Jackie during his passing. Not being able to say goodbye is a memory we’ll always carry with us and it’s been really hard," Brumbaugh said through tears.  

When asked for comment, a spokesperson for the nursing home said,  "Our understanding was that the local family members were appreciative of the care that was provided."

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