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A couple in Orlando, Florida, honored the hundreds of thousands of people who lost their lives due to COVID-19 in a stunning Christmas light display.
“We are dedicating this season to all the families who have lost a loved one and to all our first responders who have spent countless hours helping and providing care to those infected with COVID-19,” said a sign posted outside Frank Boyce and David Nubar’s well-decorated home.
Boyce and Nubar, who began decorating on October 1, placed over 220,000 lights on their house to memorialize all those who passed this year due to the coronavirus.
“Each light represents a life lost to COVID-19. While those lost are no longer with us, their bright light will forever shine in our lives,” the sign continued. “Our thoughts and prayers this holiday season are with the families and friends of those who have lost a precious loved one. Never forget them.”
The couple unveiled their display in late October when the U.S. surpassed 220,000 coronavirus deaths. Every night since Boyce and Nubar have turned their lights on at 6 PM EST and welcomed others to share in its beauty and meaning.
“We can physically see a representation of all the lost souls due to COVID-19 and it puts it all in perspective,” Nubar told local Orlando television station WOLF 35. “It’s overwhelming.”
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images/Getty
In an interview with WFTV 9, Boyce and Nubar shared a story about a woman who came to tell the couple how appreciative she was of the display after her mother passed from COVID-19. The couple was moved when the women shared how their light display was helping her heal, according to the television station.
“People will remember because we say never forget them. And we don’t forget tragedies,” Nubar told WFTV 9. “We don’t forget Pulse [the deadly 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting]. We don’t forget 9/11. We don’t forget any of that, so maybe they won’t forget this. We memorialized it.”
As of Thursday, over 327,000 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in the U.S., according to data from John Hopkins University.
As the virus continues to surge across the nation, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington (IHME) predicts the U.S. could see as many as 347,446 deaths before the end of the year, surpassing the number of American casualties in the Vietnam War, Korean War, Iraq War, the War in Afghanistan and World War I combined.
Newsweek reached out to IHME, but didn’t hear back in time for publication.
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