Live Your Life

May 1, 2021
Kloots became a widow when her Broadway actor husband, Nick Cordero, diagnosed with COVID-19, died at 41. Here she chronicles the three months the Tony nominee spent at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and looks back at their courtship (the actor and dancer met when they auditioned for Bullets Over Broadway) and the birth of their son, Elvis. With her sister as coauthor, Kloots also recounts posting updates to her Instagram "army" and receiving help from her "quaranteam." The ravages of COVID-19 are horrific. Cordero drops from 225 to 148 pounds; his right leg is amputated, and his lungs look like he's been smoking 10 packs a day for decades. A dialysis machine runs his kidneys, a pacemaker helps his heart, a ventilator keeps him breathing, and he eats with a feeding tube. Somehow, Kloots keeps her positive spirit and her faith in "God's plan." Now a fitness trainer and cohost of The Talk on CBS, Kloots believes her husband brought people together "to cheer for the goodness of humanity at a time when we needed it most."

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September 24, 2021

When 41-year-old Broadway star Nick Cordero was hospitalized at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, Amanda Kloots, his terrified wife, took to social media in a desperate search for support, prayers, hope, and answers. What she found was a community of strangers who eagerly lifted her up, shared their stories, and danced every day to Nick's song "Live Your Life" to bring attention to Cordero's story. Kloots, a dancer and fitness trainer, spent most of her husband's hospitalization at their new home, quarantined with their infant son Elvis and her siblings, who arrived to lend their support. Her gratitude for the worldwide support she received, along with her desire to document Cordero's life for their young son, compelled her to share their story: the early days of their romance; the compromise and patience of their marriage; the gift of Elvis; details of the horrific toll COVID took on Cordero's body; and Cordero's eventual death in July 2020. VERDICT Cordero's story sheds light on the dangers of the virus, and Kloots's remarkable attitude, infectious faith, love for her family, and ability to find joy in the worst of circumstances are awe-inspiring.--Lisa Henry, Kirkwood P.L., MO

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