Alfonzia “AJ” Jackson Jr., a 35-year-old father of two children in Jefferson County who was among the first diagnosed cases of the British variant of COVID-19 in Alabama, has died, his wife announced on social media on Tuesday.
Lord this day was difficult. I would not wish it on anyone when I said goodbye to my wonderful husband, “wrote Ashley Jackson, Jackson’s wife. . “You are now our guardian angel and you are at peace, rest on my wonderful husband until we meet again.”
AJ Jackson was admitted to UAB Hospital late last month and was one of the first three cases in Alabama of the COVID-19 variant, which is more contagious than the original coronavirus strain. Jackson had organ failure in the hospital.
“My husband, we’ve talked about everything going better, and it’s hard to see him going off a breathing machine,” Ashley Jackson told AL.com. “I have to stay strong for my girls, so if I get too emotional, I have to go to the garage to cry and scream.”
Ashley Jackson set up a Gofundme page to raise money for health care costs and living expenses. And she appeals to people with persistent symptoms who have tested COVID negatively to be vigilant and remain in quarantine until they recover.
The site raised more than $ 71,000 as of Tuesday night.