Two Fathers

When I arrived at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in South Los Angeles in January 2021, it was the hardest-hit hospital in the hardest-hit county in the state that now surpasses New York with the highest death toll. Eight out of ten of those who died at M.L.K hospital were Hispanic, a group with the highest death rates in LA County followed by African American residents. County data also shows that the most impoverished Los Angeles residents, many of them around the hospital in South Los Angeles, were dying of the disease at four times the rate of the wealthiest. The inequities in disease and death from COVID reflect those long present in the community. “We’ve created a separate and unequal hospital system and a separate and unequal funding system for low-income communities,” said Dr. Elaine Batchlor. “And now with Covid, we’re seeing the disproportionate impact.”

Gabriel Flores, originally from Mexico, worked long hours in a restaurant to provide for his wife and three children. Emilio Virgen, father of four, drove a mini-bus to transport senior citizens to their appointments. The of Mr. Flores and Mr. Virgen described them as jovial and hard working. On January 21, Emilio Virgen passed away in the ICU. Five hours and five minutes later, Gabriel Flores, down the hallway, followed. In this series, I shadow Mr. Flores, Mr. Virgen and their families as well as other patients and healthcare workers at M.L.K Jr. Community Hospital during the winter 2021 surge.

In this essay, I particularly focus on fathers who are critically ill; throughout the pandemic, photography of patients has been limited. Over the last three years, I have attempted to bring the public closer to the unprecedented struggle and loss in U.S. intensive care units.

Michael Moore, a nurse, leans over to feel Emilio Virgen's chest at M.L.K Jr. Community Hospital in South Los Angeles, California.

Manuel Flores, Gabriel Flores’ son, embraces him in the ICU. Visits are allowed for immediate family members for those who are believed to be at end of life.

A healthcare workers sleeps during a break at 2 AM in the lobby.

Jennifer Guinoo, a respiratory therapist, prepares to enter Gabriel Flores’ room in the ICU .

Gabriela Flores listens to Dr. Joseph Meltzer who explains her husband’s condition through a nurse who interprets in the ICU.

ICU nurses, respiratory therapists and Dr. Richter attempt to resuscitate a patient during a Code Blue.

A healthcare worker pushes a patient into a triage tent outside the Emergency Department.

Trevor Garcia, a member of the National Guard, pushes Daisy Murcia out of the tent to be admitted to the hospital.

A man sits in the the triage tent for those with COVID-19 symptoms outside the Emergency Department.

Carolina Guerrero embraces her husband, Jose Guerrero, after his passing from COVID-19, as his daughter, Marisol, stands next to her in the ICU.

Maria Alcalan looks at her son, Gabriel, via Zoom from Mexico.

Gabriel Flores in his bed in the ICU.

Emilio Virgen’s hand in the I.C.U.

Edith Parredes lies in her bed in the telemetry section of the hospital. Ms. Parredes, 45, was hospitalized at M.L.K Jr. Community Hospital in South LA for Covid-19 for three months. She is a mother of four who has emigrated to the US from Mexico 21 years ago. Ms. Parredes was eager to get home to her children. Prior to her hospitalization, she was working as a housekeeper.

Gabriela Flores visits her husband, Gabriel, in the ICU is reflected in a window that reveals the emergency room entrance at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in South LA.

Michelle Goldson, a nurse, prepares to cover Emilio Virgen after towel bathing him in the ICU.

B.J. Brown Jr, a member of the transport team, prepares to take a body of a patient with Covid-19 from the ICU to the hospital morgue at M.L.K Jr. Community Hospital in South Los Angeles, California.. Mr. Brown has worked at the hospital since it opened five years ago. He opted to wear a Tyvek suit while working to protect his children. His 9 year old daughter calls every shift to confirm that Mr. Brown is ok.

BJ Brown Jr, a member of the transport team, prepares to take a body of a patient with Covid-19 from the ICU to the hospital morgue at M.L.K Jr. Community Hospital in South Los Angeles, California. Mr. Brown has worked at the hospital since it opened five years ago. He opted to wear a Tyvek suit while working to protect his children. His 9 year old daughter calls every shift to confirm that Mr. Brown is ok.

Kenneth Ludgood, a member of the transport team for five years, pushes a gurney that carries the body of Gabriel Flores into the temporary morgue.

Jose Ayala, who has COVID-19, cries for his wife and children, as he sits in his room.

Gabriela Flores cries, as her mother-in-law speaks on the phone with a relative in Mexico two days after Mr. Flores’ death, at the Flores family home in Los Angeles.

Family members of Maria Serrano and her son, Victor Serrano, embrace as they watch the burial of their coffins at Park Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Both Maria and Victor passed away from COVID-19 related complications in January 2021.

Isadora Kosofsky

Documentary Photographer & Filmmaker

Two Fathers