Heartbroken Sister Held 12YO Dying Brother's Hand as He Succumbed to COVID-19 | "I Just Didn’t Want Him to Be Alone"

Another day and another young life lost to COVID-19. However, unlike the countless others who died alone, this 12-year-old was fortunate enough to have his sister next to him holding his hands while he breathed his last. Aedan Selph from New Mexico became the youngest victim of the virus in the state after he passed away on Tuesday, November 17.

The Albuquerque Journal reported that the young boy was admitted at the Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque after he tested positive for the virus. There have been 1,302 deaths reported statewide due to the coronavirus.

Evelyn Wolfe, Aedan's older sister, told the outlet that she and her family had to take an extremely difficult decision when they were informed that the little boy's left lung had completely collapsed and he was only using his right one. They were given an option to either keep him on life support forever or be okay with letting him pass on. 

Elaborating, Evelyn said that they were allowed to be with Aedan for an hour before they left to go home. The nurses were making him comfortable and removing the medical tubes delivering plasma antibodies to his body when they left Aedan.

“And as we were walking out of the elevators to go home somebody came running down telling us, ‘Hey, he’s not going to make it,’” Evelyn revealed and continued, “And me and my mom ran back upstairs and my mom was like, ‘You’ll get dressed faster than I will.’”

Hurriedly dressing up in all the protective gear, the sister entered the room to be with his brother for one last time. A very emotional Evelyn continued, “I went in there and said a prayer over him and held his hand in my hand while he took his last breath…I just didn’t want him to be alone. I knew it was coming. I just couldn’t let my little brother be alone. Nobody should be alone when that happens.”

Aedan was just 7 months when he and his twin sister were welcomed into the family. The boy had prior health issues as he had been born prematurely. The lack of oxygen to his brain during his birth caused it to swell and along with other medical problems. But that didn't stop Aedan from living his happily. Evelyn said that even though he could not move and talk properly, no one was as happy as him.

“He laughed like nobody ever knew in the world,” she said and continued, “Like he would laugh and smile and that’s why I say, literally, he would just light up a room.”

Talking to CNN on Friday, November 20, revealed that the virus "hit my family as a whirlwind," as both Aedan and her father had tested positive for the virus on Sunday, November 15. Fortunately, her father was released soon. Aedan, on the other hand, started having seizures after he caught the virus, following which her mother called for an ambulance.

“He went in and they told us ‘he seemed to be doing a little bit better, you know, we’re going to keep him for observation for 10 days because he is medically fragile and everything,'” 31-year-old Evelyn revealed. “And then literally out of nowhere, my mom called me and told me, ‘Hey, you need to come to the house. They told us he’s probably not going to make it,’” she added.

"My brother was our light — the most unconditionally loving little boy — and that light's gone now. I'm trying to keep my parents together and my siblings together, reminding them of the good times and everything my brother did stand for in our family," Evelyn continued.

She revealed that her father, who is an essential worker, carried the virus home. Warning other people, Evelyn said, “My brother was special needs but this can happen to anybody…I just want people to realize how important it is to use the precautions." She said if it was not for the COVID "my brother would still be here."

She continued, "It can affect anybody — whether you're healthy, whether you do have an underlying condition. What I want people to think about is, 'Yeah, you might be okay right now, but you don't know what the person next to you has at home.'"

Evelyn added that her "happy Partridge family” includes eight foster children who have been adopted over the years, and suffer from different medical conditions.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family to raise funds for the funeral of the life the family has lost. 

References:

https://www.abqjournal.com/1519593/family-mourns-states-youngest-covid-victim.html

https://edition.cnn.com/videos/health/2020/11/20/evelyn-wolfe-intv-12-year-old-brother-died-coronavirus-new-mexico-sot-nr-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/coronavirus/

https://www.gofundme.com/f/our-angel-aedan-selph