Durham girl dies after fight with coronavirus
A Durham community is mourning the loss of a young girl who died after a fight with COVID-19.
Aurea Soto Morales, a second grader at Creekside Elementary School, died Monday after she was hospitalized at UNC for complications from coronavirus.
She started feeling sick last Thursday, May 28. She was tested for COVID-19. Later, she had a seizure and was rushed to the hospital.
Family members said she experienced swelling in her brain. She eventually went into a coma and passed away.
Never imagined it would happen so fast
Her family wants to get across the message that even children are not immune to COVID-19. They hope the story of their daughter will help parents take the pandemic more seriously--perhaps saving other parents from experiencing the same pain.
"It just went down so quickly and I didn't even get to say goodbye to her," said her sister Jennifer Jano Morales.
She said she doesn't want other parents to go through this or siblings to go through this.
"As soon as we left the clinic my sister had a seizure in the back of the van," she said. "I never knew it would be that quick. I never knew it would happen so fast."
Family contracted the virus also
Her father, mother and sister have also contracted the virus according to their GoFundMe page.
Creekside principal Victoria Creamer released the following statement:
“Our whole Creekside community’s heart is broken over the loss of one of our wonderful students, who was a shining light wherever she went. Even though we must remain physically distant due to COVID-19, we are still reaching out to support our children, families, and staff during this difficult time. We ask that the family and our Creekside community be given privacy so that we may have the space and time to grieve.”
Her sister said, "She liked being the boss of herself. She was very confident of herself. Every time we would take a picture she would always strike a pose."
A GoFundMe page was created that raised more than $10,000 for the family.
