FORT WORTH, Texas (KTVT) – A Texas family mourns the loss of a 9-year-old boy to COVID-19 after taking a turn for the worse and dying within 24 hours.
JJ Boatman, 9, died at Cook Children’s Health Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on Tuesday, January 26th. His family says the boy was known for his big bear hugs.
“He was a loving and caring little boy. Every time he saw you or any member of the family, he would run and hug you, ”said Gabriel Ayala, the boy’s uncle.
Just a few weeks before his death, JJ celebrated his 9th birthday with tacos and cake.
“I never knew this would be his last birthday,” Ayala said.
The 9-year-old had asthma, but Ayala says he was still very active, always playing with cousins or older sisters. In fact, the family says JJ ran and played hours before his symptoms began.
“He was just running and playing earlier that day, and at night he was screaming and crying to his mother that he couldn’t breathe. His mother was gone, and his face was already blue, and his lips were blue, “Ayala said.
JJ’s mother took him to the emergency room and then he was taken to Cook Children. When he arrived, his lungs were full of fluid. The heart of the 9-year-old gave up the next morning.
Doctors said JJ’s family died from COVID-19 complications. Before he was hospitalized, no one knew that the 9-year-old had the virus.
“She did not know that she would come home empty-handed without her son. It’s hard, of course. This was her little boy. This was her only son, “said Ayala, JJ’s mother.
Ayala says JJ’s story shows that anyone can get COVID-19 and hopes people will continue to take the threat seriously because his family is grieving for the 9-year-old whose life has been cut short.
“It simply came to our notice then. His life hadn’t even begun, “Ayala said.
A GoFundMe created for the family raised over $ 20,000.
Copyright 2021 KTVT via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.