So many heartbreaking stories have come out of the global pandemic. But it's hard to imagine anything more tragic than a mother losing her life to the virus just after giving birth. That's what happened to a mother of three named Unique Clay. The Chicago mom was just 31 years old when she died last Tuesday. She had given birth just five days before.
Unique worked for the United States Postal Service. She had been working as a letter carrier for the USPS for two years, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. She reportedly told her family around the time she was going into labor that she didn't feel well, as if she was coming down with a cold. She was tested in the delivery room, and the results came back positive.
A spokesperson for the Cook County medical examiner's office told People magazine that she died "as a result of COVID-19 infection. The manner of death is natural." She died last Tuesday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Now her family is grieving the tragic loss.
Every single death that takes place as a result of the coronavirus is tragic. But when a mother dies before even getting to know her baby, the whole world can relate to that deep devastation. It’s an incredibly painful loss for Unique’s family, including those three children. She was a devoted mother and had only just given birth to her third baby days before she died.
Unique’s family is grieving her loss. But they also have some very valid concerns. They’re wondering why Unique was released from the hospital so soon after giving birth, especially when she had tested positive for the virus. The University of Chicago, where Unique delivered her baby, said that due to privacy regulations, it can’t answer questions about why she was released. But it raises questions about how black women are treated during labor and delivery, especially because the maternal mortality rate is so much higher for black mothers.
“The family is picking out caskets, and her birthday is one month from today,” Unique’s father, Alan Brown, told CBS2 Chicago. Her family also said that Unique loved her job, but she was an incredibly devoted mother. That was the job she loved most of all.
The way she died is just devastating. After Unique was discharged, she was struggling to breathe, her family said. Just days after she was sent home, she told her oldest daughter to get her inhaler. When the 11-year-old came back to give it to her, she found her mother was dead.
Now her children don’t have a mother, and as Unique’s sister pointed out, her newest baby won’t know her at all. “My newborn niece, she will never get to know her mom,” said Unique’s sister Dajah Brown. It’s utterly devastating for the entire family, but especially those three kids.
Unique’s death is also raising concerns, not just over how hospitals may be releasing some patients too soon, but in regard to how essential workers aren’t getting tested. It’s unclear exactly how she got the virus, but her death marks the first COVID-19 loss among Chicago letter carriers. The letter carriers union says they are just like the rest of the essential workers. They aren’t taking breaks, they’re putting themselves in harm’s way, and they need to be getting tests.
“Our members have to take extra precaution out there,” said union president Mack Julion. “The American people are counting on us to deliver.” He continued, “We want letter carriers to be tested. We are essential. We’re out there. We’re engaging with the public daily. So they can get home safely to their families.”
The union says it has been tracking cases of COVID-19, and around 40 letter carriers in Chicago have tested positive. Hopefully, for the safety of the letter carriers, as well as the general public, all essential workers will be able to get the tests they need soon. And with many states reopening and easing social distancing measures, now more than ever routine testing for some people might be needed.
Abiding by social distancing guidelines on Saturday, fellow postal workers said goodbye to Unique. With masks on their faces and balloons in hand, they released balloons into the air. Many tears were shed and sweet words uttered about their friend and coworker. Some workers used their lunch breaks to attend the memorial.
Unique's death marks the first of postal workers in Chicago. However, the number of postal workers across the US who have tested positive is on the rise. The growing rate has many people concerned about the safety of postal workers, as well as whether or not their mail is safe to touch and to bring into their homes.
