A 22-year-old college student in Los Angeles and her 17-year-old brother have lost both of their parents and their grandmother to COVID-19, KTVU FOX 2 reports.
Hannah Kim and her brother Joe have endured a nearly 2-month long family battle with COVID-19. In April, their grandmother, who had moved home with them due to coronavirus concerns at her senior care facility, was diagnosed with COVID-19.
“On April 27, my mom and I had to make a very hard decision,” Hannah wrote in a journal for KQED. “If we sent our grandma to the hospital, there was a chance we wouldn’t be able to ever see her again. But we knew she was going to pass away if we kept her in our home.”
The Kims called an ambulance so that their grandmother could be taken to the hospital. A week later, her father became ill and also had to be sent to the hospital. The last time Hannah saw both her grandmother and father in person was when they were loaded into the ambulance.
Hannah’s mother began feeling sick and weak the same night her father was sent to the hospital. Hannah and her brother once again forced to endure the pain of parting with a loved one as they were being loaded into an ambulance.
Both Hannah and Joe also tested positive for coronavirus, but did not have many symptoms besides a lost sense of smell.
In early May, their grandmother passed away while both of their parents were still in the hospital.
“We are very worried about our parents, but also about how we are going to pay our bills,” Hannah wrote in a May 11 guest journal entry for KQED.
On May 16, Hannah wrote about her family’s situation in an effort to encourage people to take the virus seriously. The post received support from thousands of people.
At the time of Hannah’s post, her father was in critical condition and her mother was still seriously ill. He passed away five days later on May 21.
In late May, Hannah’s mother was released from the ICU and was on the road to recovery. She was moved to USC Keck hospital on June 19.
“Nothing is certain, but the fact that she’s at USC is surreal….” Hannah wrote in an Instagram post. “Tomorrow she will be getting a tracheostomy, which is an alternative to her ventilator that’s much cleaner and comfortable than an oral ventilator! We are so excited for her.”
But the tissue damage in her mother’s lungs severely hindered her breathing. On July 14, she passed away.
Hannah thanked everyone who had reached out to her to offer support and comfort. She has asked for space and privacy while she grieves and takes care of her family. She is finishing up her coursework at California State University Los Angeles and hopes to get a job soon so she can support herself and her brother.
Friends and family have set up a GoFundMe to help raise money for Hannah and her brother.
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