HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — It’s an unfortunate reality for Izzy and Evelyn Zena these days to look at their loved one, the head of the household, through a computer screen. 

“He can hear us, he’s an induced coma but he can hear us,” Izzy said, looking at his father on the computer via Facetime.

Charlie Zena is currently fighting pneumonia and COVID-19 at Oak Hill Hospital. Hospital protocol prevents them from seeing Charlie in person, so until then it’s constant phone calls for updates.

One evening, the Zena's received a phone call that almost changed everything

“He said, I’m sorry Mrs. Zena but your husband has passed,” Izzy said, recalling the night of Aug. 16.

“I’m like, 'I don’t know what you’re telling me, I don’t understand what you are trying to tell me,'" Evelyn continued. "And he was just like, 'Well, your husband is dead so you need to make your arrangements.'” 

Recovering from COVID and pneumonia herself, Izzy started making those arrangements — until the following day.

“I was right next to her," Izzy said, "We had the doctor on speaker and I said a doctor called last night and told my mom my dad was dead and he said, 'I don’t how you got that information, because that’s not the case, your dad has not passed, he’s currently in the ICU.'”

While they were relieved, Izzy and Evelyn wanted to know how something like this could happen.

“How do you make a mistake like that, and how do you not verify information like that?” Izzy said. 

It’s been days since that devastating experience and as of Saturday, Charlie was still fighting. The Zena’s are putting their focus on the memories they share with him and are just praying the photos on the walls won’t be the final memories they’ve made together.