On April 23, 1997, Joefred and Ralphred Gregory were born. In April, the identical twins shared their 24th birthdays, and a day later, they all caught Covid. They died just hours apart in a hospital in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, last week.
Joefred died of Covid on May 13th, according to their parents, Gregory Raymond and Soja Raphael, both teachers in Meerut. Their entire world came crashing down around them.
Ralphred, who was in the same hospital as his twin, called his mother and inquired about him. Joefred was told that he would have to be transferred to a Delhi hospital. “Ma, you are lying,” he said. The next day, he died.
The death of the twins is one of the most heartbreaking news to emerge from India’s crippling Covid second wave, which has seen many people die from a lack of oxygen.
The twins, who were born three minutes apart, did the most of their activities together. They were both 6 feet tall and attended college together in Coimbatore, where they finished their B.Tech. Ralphred worked for Hyundai Mubis Business, while Joefred worked for Accenture. They intended to go overseas.
Joefred had been operating from home in Meerut, and Ralphred had taken a leave of absence from his Hyderabad office due to an arm injury. They have a brother who is older than them.
Just after their birthday, the twins developed a fever. The family handled them at home for days, purchasing an oximeter and administering medicine. They were admitted to the hospital on May 1 as their health deteriorated.
On May 10, both tested negative for Covid and the family was overjoyed. “Three days later, our world came crashing… When Joefred died, I had a sixth sense that Ralphred would not make it. Simply because they were inseparable,” Mr Raphael told.
“Our family is broken. Covid took away my sons who had never harmed anyone in their entire lives,” Mr Raphael said.
