The siblings spoke to their mom for the last time on December 1, when she was taken to the hospital.
There is no one who can replace our mom in our lives. Even as adults, long after we have moved away from our nests and possibly, even after we have our own families, most of us crave the love of our mom. And, one family in Phoenix had to prematurely say goodbye to their mother, who died due to COVID19.
Mayra Millan, 46, died on December 14, 2020, after getting infected by coronavirus around Thanksgiving. Mayra was an essential worker, an employee at a local grocery store, and her family believes that she got infected because of her job. Mayra and her six kids lived together in Phoenix, Arizona. They were concerned for their mom. Her second oldest child, Carlos, 23, had graduated from college in May and was looking for a job so that his mom wouldn't have to go out and work anymore, as per Daily Mail.
The 46-year-old didn't have any preexisting conditions, says her eldest child, 25-year-old Vanessa, who has now become the primary caregiver for her five siblings. On December 1, Vanessa had to call an ambulance when her mom's symptoms went from fever, fatigue, and a headache to difficulty breathing. Unfortunately, it became the last day she and her siblings spoke to their mom.
Mayra was sedated and put on a ventilator during the entirety of her hospitalization. Vanessa said that she and her siblings called the hospital up to four times a day to get updates on her as they were not allowed to visit due to restrictions, as per Good Morning America. "I had a hard time understanding so I would ask a lot of questions and my aunt [who works in the medical field] helped too," she said.
"They would tell us she was getting better and we would get our hopes up high," the 25-year-old told WBNS. "And then the next day the same lung that had collapsed, re-collapsed."
The 46-year-old passed away 11 days before Christmas. "She was full of love and ready to just give all her love to all of us," she said to Good Morning America. "She always ensured that we had exactly what we needed. We didn't always have what we wanted, but we always had what we needed," she added.
When she was told that her mom has passed away, "immediately what came to my mind was my siblings," she said. "I’ve always been like their second mom and I just didn’t want them to feel any pain," she said, as per Daily Mail.
Now, it's up to her to comfort her younger siblings, including the youngest sibling, who is 6 years old and has had a hard time grasping the situation. "I've tried to explain to her in simple terms that God took mom and we're going to see her again, but she doesn't really understand," said she, as per GMA. "It's been extremely overwhelming."
Vanessa, who works with high school students full-time, now has to help her younger siblings attend their virtual classes, plan the funeral, and plan the future of her family. "I'd never planned a funeral before and now I'm getting acquainted with the online learning to make sure they're doing everything right," she said. "My mom was the one who did all of that." She is also trying to get custody of three of her youngest siblings.
Their community and their large extended family, including Mayra's cousin Brenda Angelo, have been helping them since they experienced their loss. "It was something that honestly no one was expecting because Mayra was always so happy and free-spirited and she was always the life of the party," Brenda told GMA. "We've all tried really, really hard to be there for them in any way possible," she added.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family and they have raised more than $31,000.
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