At 25-years-old, Vanessa Perez never thought she would be declared the primary caregiver to her five siblings.
Tragedy struck this family when the woman from Phoenix, Arizona lost her mother, Mayra Millan, to COVID-19 just weeks before Christmas on December 14, Good Morning America reports.
Now, Perez will take on the role of "mother" for her siblings, who range in age from 6 to 23.
"She was full of love and ready to just give all her love to all of us," Perez said. "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.”
Shortly before dying, Millan worked at a local grocery store and became sick with the deadly virus. Perez shared that she believes her mother contracted COVID-19 through her job.
"We were absolutely concerned because in our household she was the only essential worker and she was older," Perez said. "My brother had just graduated from college in May and he was looking for employment so that he could provide for my mom and my mom wouldn't have to work during the pandemic."
Perez shared that by December 1, her mother's COVID-19 symptoms worsened from fatigue, fever, and headache to difficulty breathing. Once her condition worsened, Perez called an ambulance for her mother.
"We called the ambulance and they checked her oxygen and it was extremely low," Perez said. "They took her to the hospital that day and we didn't hear from her anymore."
Throughout Millan's time at the hospital, she remained on a ventilator.
When she passed away, Perez explained how it was her duty to comfort all of her siblings.
"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," Perez said. "It's been extremely overwhelming."
While working a full-time job, Perez now has to pay for her mother's funeral. She is grateful for all of the support from the community.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family to help cover Millan's funeral costs. So far, people have raised more than $25,000.
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