Obituary for North Texas woman who died of COVID-19 blames 'carelessness' of politicians
DALLAS - The obituary for a North Texas woman who died from COVID-19 puts blame on the "carelessness" of politicians, and added that her death could have been prevented.
The obituary for Isabelle Odette Hilton Papadimitriou, 64, which was published Tuesday by The Dallas Morning News, described her as "a compassionate spirit" and "a ray of light in everyone's life"
Papadimitriou, who reportedly worked as a respiratory therapist, died on July 4 after a week of battling COVID-19.
MORE: Coronavirus coverage
"Her undeserving death is due to the carelessness of the politicians who continue to hedge their bets on the lives of healthcare workers through a lack of leadership, through a refusal to acknowledge the severity of this crisis, and through an inability and unwillingness to give clear and decisive direction on how to minimize the risks of the coronavirus. Her death could have been prevented," the obituary said.
Her daughter, Fiana Paulette Tulip, also wrote an op-ed published by the Austin American-Statesman, in which she invited Governor Greg Abbott to her mother's funeral, and blamed his "inaction and active denial of the devastation from COVID-19" for the thousands of COVID-19 deaths in Texas.
Tulip said Gov. Abbott's mask order was too late to save her mother, and said the more than 4,000 people who have died from COVID-19 are just numbers to him.
She said her family will not be able to hug at the funeral because her brother tested positive for the coronavirus the day her mother died.
She also said there will be social distancing and other precations in place at the funeral, adding, "If I can manage a safe funeral, you can manage a safe state and prevent these unnecessary tragedies."