BOSTON (WHDH) - Gov. Charlie Baker is urging the public to not leave anything left unsaid with their loved ones as the coronavirus pandemic creates an unclear future among families across the country.
“I pay attention to the numbers (of COVID-19 cases and deaths) but what I really think about mostly are the stories and the people who are behind the stories,” Baker said during a news conference at the State House on Wednesday. “When you talk about where the numbers are going on this, what I’m really thinking about is all those people who aren’t going to have a chance to say goodbye.”
When the Baker administration originally put a limit on gatherings to slow the spread of the coronavirus, he said he knew “one of the more brutal consequences just psychologically” of the limitation would be on family and friends missing out on the opportunity to say their final goodbyes to loved ones at funerals.
Baker began to choke up as he shared that his best friend recently lost his mother to the highly-contagious virus.
“He and his mom had a great relationship and because they had a great relationship, they never left anything unsaid. I mean, you just knew that about the two of them,” Baker said after fighting back tears. “This wasn’t going to be one of those situations where, you know, ‘Oh my gosh, I wish I had the chance to tell her whatever, or tell my son whatever.’ That never happened with them.”
Baker added that this remains an “extraordinarily painful process” for his best friend’s family but that he hopes others going through a similar situation make sure they have the chance to tell their loved ones how they really feel before it’s too late.
“I really hope people have a chance to make sure that they don’t leave anything off the table with respect to their loved ones,” he said.
Baker expressed that he’s been opening up more to his father as the uncertainty of COVID-19 continues to loom over the world.
“My wife gives me a hard time all the time about the fact that, you know, Baker men never really say what they think about anything to anybody when it comes to personal things,” he continued, “and even on these goofy phone calls I have with my dad, I try to say more. You just don’t know anymore what the future’s going to hold.”
The healthcare community has been working hard to fight against the coronavirus so more people don’t have to worry about saying their final goodbyes to loved ones.
Baker concluded his conference by saying, “Those numbers (of COVID-19 cases and deaths) to me are about lost opportunities and the significance and the importance of loved ones putting it all out there and making sure they don’t leave anything unsaid.”
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