Woman who warned of outbreak at Life Care Center dies of COVID-19 complications
In the video above: Dooley's final plea for help
On a driveway in Fremont, Nebraska, a daughter and granddaughter listen to the phone call their loved one made from inside the Life Care Center of Elkhorn.
"She was scared," said Tammy Nolan, Sandra Dooley's daughter. "She kept telling me, 'You gotta get me out of here. If you don't get me out of here, I'm going to get it and I'll die.'"
Dooley, 79, called KETV Newswatch 7 May 11 for help and left a message.
"I'm calling about Elkhorn Life Center. We're filling up with corona," she said. "I just think I should let you guys know because it's spreading throughout the whole building."
"You can hear it in her voice in that voicemail right there," said granddaughter, Kasey Nolan.
The day after the phone call, Dooley tested positive for COVID-19. Her family said she had to leave the building for dialysis treatments. They said the facility moved her to the "red zone" where positive residents were isolated.
"They didn't want to put others at risk because of her, yet she was still negative," said Kasey Nolan.
The morning of May 14, medics rushed Dooley to the hospital after a fall. She hit her head. The family said she developed pneumonia due to COVID-19 complications and six days later, the great grandmother of three passed away.
"It caused everything to shut down," said Kasey Nolan.
"I did ask the doctor, 'Do you believe this is a combination of COVID and the fall?' and they said, 'Yes,' Tammy Nolan said.
They take comfort knowing Dooley tried to get help for herself and the other residents.
"She's feisty and always has been. If she's going to speak up for herself, she's going to speak up for everyone else," Kasey Nolan said.
They want the facility to listen to their mother's plea for help and move the residents to a safe place.
"Why are you letting the rest of them get it? The few people that don't have it, get them out of there," Tammy Nolan said.
The women said they will continue the fight Dooley started with a phone call.
"She cared for everyone," Tammy Nolan said.
They're planning a funeral in Fremont.