Three Arizona teachers who shared a classroom got coronavirus. One of them died

Updated 1901 GMT (0301 HKT) July 12, 2020

(CNN)Three teachers who shared a summer classroom at a school in Arizona all contracted coronavirus last month, leaving one of them dead.

Kimberley Chavez Lopez Byrd, 61, died June 26, less than two weeks after she was hospitalized. The other two teachers -- Jena Martinez and Angela Skillings -- said they're still struggling with the effects of the virus that has killed nearly 135,000 people nationwide.

All three teachers wore masks and gloves, used hand sanitizer and socially distanced, but still got sick, according to school officials at the small community in the eastern part of the state.

Kimberley Byrd had worked at the Hayden Winkelman School District for 38 years -- so long that she'd started teaching the children of her former students.

"Losing Mrs. Byrd in our small rural community was devastating. She was an excellent educator with a huge heart," said Pamela Gonzalez, principal of Leonor Hambly K8. "We find comfort in knowing her story may bring awareness to the importance of keeping our school employees safe and our precious students safe in this pandemic."

The infection started in June

Kimberley Byrd started feeling unwell in June. She was prone to sinus infections, and also had asthma, diabetes and lupus. Her doctor gave her antibiotics and steroids and on June 13, she went to the emergency room, according to her husband, Jesse Byrd Sr.

She was admitted to the hospital and immediately put on oxygen, but her husband was not allowed to be with her. The next morning, she called him to say doctors were putting her on a ventilator. That was the last time they spoke.

"I just had this horrible gut-wrenching feeling just knowing how much of a struggle this was going to be because I knew her lungs were compromised even before this ... fear, just the worst fear that you could feel," Byrd said. "I knew it was going to be rough on her."

Days later, Jesse Byrd, his daughter, son, daughter-in-law, 4-year-old granddaughter and several other relatives contracted Covid-19. His wife's brother also tested positive and has been on a ventilator for over 27 days, he told CNN Saturday night.

Jesse Byrd said his wife's condition started improving and the doctors woke her up to see if she could tolerate being intubated while semiconscious. When she woke, she had a panic attack and started regressing.

"We just prayed for a miracle, and we put her in God's hands and we said either he's gonna work a miracle in her and save her or he's gonna take her home," Jesse Byrd said. "She didn't make it ... It's been devastating for us here in our home."

She died just short of their 24th wedding anniversary.