his last words over facetime. the doctor at pontiac general used her personal cell phone to allow him to facetime me and i was able to pray with him before they put him on a ventilator. reporter: rolando aravena was an essential worker at verizon during the pandemic. he was a communications field technician who was sent to a new york hospital to help prepare for the surge. a week later he was sick too. his wife on what he said. he said, mel, i never knew a love like this before. and i love you so much. reporter: there have been so many first responders. 66-year-old paul cary, a paramedic from colorado, who raced to new york to volunteer. he would later die from the virus. philip kahn of long island, who just turned 100 in december. blowing the candles surrounded by family. it turns out philip lost his twin brother during the spanish flu pandemic in 1919.