International- Amid the
coronavirus pandemic , 16-year-old Francesca Onorato was not able to visit her grandmother who had been diagnosed withCOVID-19 . - Onorato and her family, however, did say their goodbyes in an emotional phone call, which the teen filmed and posted to
TikTok . - She posted the video, she says, to show the personal impact of the pandemic, beyond the statistics people see on the news.
- The video has been viewed over 14 million times and spurred commenters' pleas to stay home and reduce the spread of the virus.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
TikTok user Francesca Onorato wanted to say goodbye, but the 16-year-old from Natick, Massachusetts was not able to visit her grandmother, who had been living in a nursing home and was diagnosed with COVID-19 in April.
"Finding out she was positive [for COVID-19] really hurt me because I realized with her lung problems, she most likely would not survive, so I was devastated," Onorato told Insider.
However, the teenager and her family did say their final goodbyes on the phone — and she posted a video of the emotional call to TikTok.
"I love you, Mom, so much, okay?" Onorato's mother, Linda, says on the phone, her voice breaking. "You're the best mommy in the whole world. Always the best momma. I love you."
Onorato's sister, Ava, can be seen on her phone and tearing up in the background.
@sinjinshairyballsack my grandma got coronavirus & is on her deathbed so we said goodbye one final time since we couldnt see her irl.
♬ original sound - sinjinshairyballsack
While the girls' grandmother was taking morphine and unable to respond on the call, Onorato says, the goodbye was still meaningful.
"We knew she could hear us in her heart," Onorato said.
In just four days, the video has been viewed over 14 million times and received thousands of comments offering condolences and urging people to stay inside to reduce the spread of the virus.
"This breaks my heart," one commenter wrote. "THIS IS WHY WE HAVE TO STAY AT HOME GUYSSS."
"And people are out getting Starbucks saying it's 'essential.' You're literally hurting families," another comment, that has received over 260,000 likes, reads.
While Onorato says she and her family were surprised that "so many" people viewed the video, they're encouraged by the response.
"I want people to know that this is reality," she said of her decision to post the video online. "Those statistics you see on TV could be your family members and everyone needs to stay inside if we want this virus to go away quicker."
While Onorato's mother admits to being "taken aback" by all the attention at first, she says that reading the comments and heartfelt reactions brought her "peace" and gave her hope that people would change their behavior amid the pandemic.
"It seems like this video has possibly impacted the younger generation to realize that this is real and happening in families," she said. "Hopefully [the video will] pass the message to stay in during this time."
Ultimately, the video serves as a reminder of the painful realities of the pandemic.
Onorato's grandmother passed away on April 9, holding her nurse's hand. She was 81 years old.
"My grandma was an awesome person, she accepted me through thick and thin," Onorato said. "She was always so kind and never hurt her family. She was the most genuine person I knew and would always be completely honest with you."
Read the original article on Insider