A South Florida mother says she is lost after losing her youngest child to the coronavirus.
Juana Domingo sat by her daughter’s hospital bed for 24 days, and on July 29th, her worst nightmare came true. Estelia lost her battle with COVID-19.
“I hugged her, I grabbed her hand, I wanted to take her out of the hospital bed, I wanted her to wake up,” Domingo said.
The 16-year-old girl was born with what her mother called a brain issue, as well as kidney failure. Estelia was also diabetic. Instead of working, Juana cared for her daughter around the clock.
Family friends say Estelia went under 15 surgeries before her mother found out she had the coronavirus.
Juana doesn’t know how she contracted the virus. She says she became hopeful that her health would improve when her breathing tube was removed, but other infections led to complications.
Estelia was one of the hundreds of children who have been battling the coronavirus in Florida.
Since August 3rd, data from the Florida Department of Health shows 408 pediatric patients have been hospitalized at some point with Covid-19, and seven children under the age of 18 have died in the state.
9-year-old Zane Wampler of the Florida Keys was another one of those pediatric patients who was hospitalized with COVID-19.
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His mother, Leah Wampler, says he finally returned home on Tuesday after spending over 19 days at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital being treated for complications due to COVID-19.
Wampler says it’s been an emotional journey for the family, but she’s relied on support from her community and is grateful her son is on the road to recovery.
In a coincidence, Zane returned home on the same exact day he arrived home from the hospital when he was born 9 years ago.
As for Juana, she and her family are trying their best to honor one of Estrelia’s dying wishes.
Her daughter wished to be buried in Guatemala. The family is now trying to raise money to send her there.
