♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: Amid the pandemic, two women separated from those they love.
First... >> She was brought down to the ICU knowing that her oxygen level had gotten precariously worse.
>> NARRATOR: A new mother fighting the virus.
>> She's 30 years old.
She just had a baby.
She's really sick.
>> NARRATOR: Her baby at risk.
>> Was the baby going to be extremely sick and infected as a result of COVID, too?
>> NARRATOR: And their struggle to re-unite.
And later... in collaboration with the Marshall Project and the Pulitzer Center... >> NORMA (speaking Spanish): >> NARRATOR: Norma and her children are without a home.
>> The last time that I had my own bed was like three months ago.
>> NARRATOR: And her husband is in ICE detention.
>> An urgent plea from behind bars-- "Don't let us die."
>> NARRATOR: These two stories now on this special edition of "Frontline."
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> MARVIN (speaking Spanish): (siren blaring) (indistinct chatter) (monitor beeping) (monitor beeping) (indistinct chatter) >> What's that?
>> We need a medium-sized allevyn pad cut in half.
>> Okay.
>> Bring me a clean specimen bag for me to put this in.
>> Zully's case was very unique for us because this was one of our first few cases with a mom who was extremely sick and COVID-positive.
Was the baby going to be extremely sick and infected as a result of COVID, too?
We did not know that at that time.
There was not a lot of data there.
Now we know that most babies don't get extremely sick with COVID, but at that time we were not aware of that.
>> The baby did have several tests done, and he tested negative.
But we knew that mom was positive, and then we had to safely execute on a plan for him to go home to a safe environment.
♪ ♪ Billy's gonna check your temperature.
>> Any symptoms?
Okay.
>> MARVIN: >> I said, "Listen, Marvin, I am willing to help 100%.
I really did not know this family.
I mean, Zully just came to the United States, I think, a year ago, and Marvin has been here for six years.
And Junior is my bilingual student.
And that's how I met them.
When we were able to test Marvin and Junior, they were both COVID-19-positive.
This baby would have not stood a chance if he went home with his father with COVID-19 and Junior.
He's just a preemie baby.
I went to the hospital with Marvin.
Oh, my God.
Hi, baby.
>> LUCIANA (speaking Spanish): It wasn't easy because, you know, he saw his son for the first time, and he couldn't even go near him.
And it really broke my heart.
After going through such a big trauma not even knowing if your wife was gonna make it.
I took the baby home.
Right, baby?
(baby fussing) Hold it, hold it, hold it.
There you go, you can trust.
Right, buddy?
I was thinking I was staying with the baby for one and two days, and now I am three weeks.
(indistinct chatter) >> So how many patients do we have now?
>> We have... nine.
>> Zully, who is young compared to most of our patients, she was brought down to the ICU knowing that her oxygen level had gotten precariously worse.
We decided that we were gonna have to intubate her or put her on a breathing machine to help support her oxygen.
(monitor beeping) >> This patient over there, when I started him, he was on 100%... >> The night nurse gave me my assignment, which was Zully, and she said, "She's 30 years old.
She just had a baby.
She's really sick.
She was super unstable overnight, and she's gonna be your only patient right now, so you only can... you only have to focus on her."
She was absolutely one of the sickest patients on the floor at that time, and I thought she very well might not make it through this.
And that was-that was terrifying.
(monitor beeping) (indistinct chatter) >> While she was intubated, she spent a good majority of the time actually upside down on a fancy bed that actually takes you and turns you completely over.
So when you're on that, she was completely in a coma.
>> In my head I said she's-she's not gonna die on my time.
I'm not gonna let that happen.
>> She's okay?
Okay.
>> Can I have the patient's first and last name, please?
>> Zully... ♪ ♪ >> Ah.
(both laughing) >> She was in the ICU almost three weeks total, I think.
She was on the ventilator for about 18 days, and then another day or two afterwards as we were waking her up and regaining her strength.
(dialogue indistinct) >> We got you.
>> It takes a while to get their body back up and running.
>> Do you need to rest?
>> It's an unfortunate consequence of being in the ICU.
It's something we try to work through with our patients.
>> All right.
Ooh... >> Ooh.
>> Good job.
>> (laughs) >> There are instances of patients who have PTSD from being in the ICU.
(monitors beeping) >> ZULLY (speaking Spanish): >> Most people who were in the ICU take weeks if not months to gain her strength back.
I imagine that's what she's going through.
But most people will tell you even their mind isn't back where-where they were.
>> ZULLY: >> CATALINA (speaking Spanish): We met Zully and Marvin at the very beginning, when she was hospitalized.
When Zully was fighting for her life, um, we had people going every day to provide food to him and to Junior.
Toys to him.
There was a phone call every day.
"How are you doing?
What else do you need?"
>> (speaking Spanish): >> Mm-hmm.
>> Stamford is a very unique community in which, you know, almost 35% of the population is foreign-born.
>> (speaking Spanish): And the pandemic was effecting families like Zully's disproportionately.
The whole pandemic and how it evolved and how fast it all happened, this is still hard to comprehend for all of us.
So many people were losing their jobs.
So many families did not have a way to feed their kids or pay the rent.
So the community at large really rallied.
>> He's a very good baby.
Here, buddy.
>> He's okay.
>> He's okay?
>> He's got a little hot... >> I came here when I was 17 years old from Brazil.
My husband was an illegal immigrant.
He came here when he was 19 years old.
And look at him now.
I mean, he is an immigrant who worked his way up.
It's the American dream.
(phone rings) >> MARVIN: >> Hi.
>> LUCIANA: >> MARVIN: >> LUCIANA: >> Call on hold.
>> I know.
It's that time, buddy.
I know.
It's okay.
(baby crying) (phone rings) >> Oh, it looks like the hospital.
Hello?
All of a sudden, I get a phone call, and it's a doctor from the hospital, and they just tell me, "Oh, uh, Zully is being discharged today at 4:00.
Somebody needs to be here to pick her up."
Okay, we're sending her home, but her husband was not... You know he's COVID-19 positive and the brother is COVID-19 positive and the baby's COVID-19 negative.
So...
I was in shock when I received that phone call because I really thought she was going to still be hospitalized for one more week at least.
But if it was a person with insurance, then they would probably send her to a rehab, right?
When do we have to pick her up?
How does this work?
I mean, I'm-I'm just a teacher.
I don't know how this works.
I needed to pick her up at 4:00.
And I looked at my watch and I'm like, "Wait a second, it's 2:45."
We can't.
I am sorry.
You're telling me you're giving me one hour to make arrangements for a patient who has been in an induced coma for a-a month?
You cannot discharge this woman in one hour.
I am sorry, I just can't... (crying) ♪ ♪ >> How to get Zully home became an entire project for all of us.
I mean, their house seemed like thousands of miles away.
So I called the ambulance, I made the appointment.
I told him to be there as late as possible to give us time to prepare.
Then we went over to the house to wait for her to arrive.
(speaking Spanish): Eh?
>> Mm-hmm.
>> CATALINA: >> Junior!
(speaking Spanish): >> AURORA: >> They're coming now.
>> Oh... >> LUCIANA: Ah, Zully!
(cheering, applause) Zully!
Yay, Zully!
Welcome home.
Bievenida, Zully.
(laughs) >> Mommy?
>> ZULLY: >> Good?
That's it?
>> Thank you, guys.
Thank you.
>> You're welcome.
>> ZULLY: >> JUNIOR: >> AURORA: >> Ready?
>> ♪ Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you ♪ ♪ Happy birthday baby Neysel, happy birthday to you.
♪ >> LUCIANA: >> AURORA: >> ZULLY: >> Bye, guys.
>> Hasta luego.
>> ZULLY: ♪ ♪ >> MARVIN: ♪ ♪ >> Okay, ready?
>> MARVIN: >> Okay, all set.
>> MARVIN: >> Okay, let me try it.
>> (screams) >> MARVIN: Ya, papi.
Ya, ya.
>> (groans) >> You almost got it.
>> MARVIN: >> Thank you for holding.
Your call is very important to us.
(hold music playing) >> Okay, you had two tests done.
And one was the nasal and the other one was the blood work.
The nasal swab came back.
The swab is positive.
>> MARVIN: >> Junior is the same, also.
Mm-hmm.
>> MARVIN: (Zully crying) (Marvin exhales) >> MARVIN: >> ZULLY: ♪ ♪ >> The whole testing was so complicated and so convoluted.
And I think this is just so typical of the challenges that you face when you have a language barrier, when you have a cultural barrier, when you're scared.
We are very, very hopeful that her rapid fast test results in an hour and a half, they will give us a call.
♪ ♪ >> Yes.
>> ZULLY: (baby crying) >> Oh, I know, I know.
Oh, this is so hard.
And today's gonna be a very special day because you're gonna meet your mommy and your daddy and your brother.
>> (makes laughing sound) >> (laughs) I love when he does that.
It's like I was his mommy for the last five-and-a-half weeks.
And I gave him as much love as I would give to my own son.
♪ ♪ >> So this is a mess right now because we're trying to pack everything for Zully.
There's some extra donated milk, his little stroller.
>> CATALINA: >> MARVIN: >> Oh, his diapers and... Oh, my God, okay.
My baby.
>> Luciana, we're here.
(laughter) >> Oh, my God.
>> ZULLY: >> LUCIANA: >> Hello, papi.
>> Shh, shh, shh.
Shh, shh, shh.
(indistinct chatter) (phone ringing) >> AURORA: >> LUCIANA: >> AURORA: >> ZULLY: >> LUCIANA: >> AURORA: >> ZULLY: >> AURORA: >> ZULLY: ♪ ♪ (phone ringing) (sound distorted, breaking up) (sound distorted, breaking up) (phone beeps, call disconnects) >> (baby fussing) ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: Coming up next on this special edition of "Frontline..." Her husband is locked up in immigrant detention and her children have no place to call home.
In collaboration with the Marshall Project and the Pulitzer Center, "Undocumented in the Pandemic" begins right now.
>> In New Jersey, over the past three days, deaths have doubled.
>> This morning President Trump officially issuing a major disaster declaration for the Garden State.
>> And now Jersey City is an epicenter for the virus with cases skyrocketing there.
>> Fatalities in the pandemics epicenter will continue to rise.
(speaking Spanish) >> NORMA (speaking Spanish): (line ringing) >> RECORDING (speaking Spanish): >> JESUS (speaking Spanish): ♪ ♪ (children clamoring) (woman speaking Spanish) (indistinct chatter) (baby crying) >> Higher, higher... >> NORMA: >> One, two, three, go!
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (birds chirping) >> There is no impediment to people who are undocumented coming forth for the medical care that they need.
We have assurances that that's the case, I hope that it is.
(reporter speaking Spanish) >> NORMA: (birds chirping) >> ANDREA: (thuds) ♪ ♪ >> WALTER: ♪ ♪ (birds chirping) >> Mm-hmm.
>> Mm.
♪ ♪ >> JESUS: ♪ ♪ >> New data suggests a growing outbreak of coronavirus infections among immigrants in U.S. custody.
>> So far the government has refused to consider a large-scale release of detainees.
(overlapping voices) ♪ ♪ >> NORMA: >> I like that attitude.
Hi.
>> And you have a phone number?
>> NORMA: >> It's room number... >> (speaks indistinctly) >> Okay.
(speaking Spanish indistinctly) >> I'm gonna be here.
>> I want to be here.
>> I want to be here.
Thank you.
Bye.
(laughter) The last time that I had my own bed was like three months ago.
>> ANDREA: (phone ringing) >> NORMA AND ANDREA: >> ANDREA AND NORMA: (birds chirping) ♪ ♪ >> NORMA AND JESUS: >> NORMA: ♪ ♪ >> Hey, a fire!
>> A fire, a fire.
♪ ♪ >> ANDREA: ♪ ♪ (kids speaking indistinctly) >> Okay, David, you ready?
>> NORMA: >> WALTER: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> (speaking Spanish) >> (laughs) >> Hey!
>> Papi!
>> Papi!
Papi!
>> (speaks indistinctly) (girl screaming) >> This is my dad.
(squeals) >> We have stuff for you.
>> (speaking Spanish) ♪ ♪ >> Go to pbs.org/frontline for more of our reporting on the toll of the pandemic on the Latino community.
And listen to our podcast with the director of "Love, Life, & the Virus," Oscar Guerra.
>> This is not the reality of what happens to most Latino families.
You know, it's rare that it had this ending so that's why it makes it so unique.
>> Connect with "Frontline" on Facebook and Twitter, and watch anytime on the PBS Video App or pbs.org/frontline.
♪ ♪ >> For more on this and other "Frontline" programs, visit our website at pbs.org/frontline.
♪ ♪ "Frontline's" "Love, Life and the Virus" and "Undocumented in the Pandemic" are available on Amazon Prime Video.
♪ ♪
