Husband uses bucket truck just to see wife of 61 years after coronavirus separated them
They put Nick in the bucket and raised him up three stories to see Marion so he could show her a handwritten note he wrote that simply said: 'I love you, sweetheart.'
A devoted husband used a bucket truck to deliver a message to his wife of 61 years after they were separated because of coronavirus fears.
Nick Avtges, 88, used to spend hours with his 85-year-old wife Marion every day at the Maristhill Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Waltham, Massachusetts where she lives. However, the nursing home was shut down to outside visitors in an attempt to prevent residents from contracting the virus – so Avtges found a creative way to see his wife.
Avtges’s son Chris and longtime friend, Peter Tzannos, and reportedly hatched the plan with the help of Ryan Donnellan Tree Service, which provided a bucket truck usually used to trim trees.
‘I knew I could help here. I just needed a few minutes to figure out a plan,’ Zanos told WTRF.
They put Nick in the bucket and raised him up three stories to see Marion so he could show her a handwritten note he wrote that simply said: ‘I love you, sweetheart.’
‘When I got up there, my wife said ‘it’s dangerous get back down again,’ Nick said.
‘I asked my wife Marion, “how much do you love me?” and she said, “more than you will know.”‘
As Nick reunited with Marion, their son watched and was nearly reduced to tears over the heartwarming act.
‘When he got up top there, they kind of put their hands on the screen of the window. At that point, I teared up.’
The couple have been married for more than six decades and had four children together, Nick said, describing the moment they met as ‘love at first sight.’
Massachusetts has been the state hit by the third-most cases in the country behind New Jersey and New York. More than 26,000 cases have been confirmed across the state and 844 deaths have been reported as of Tuesday.