Makenzie Gongora’s family is adamant about sending a clear message that COVID-19 can be as serious for children as it has been for millions of adults.
The San Antonio family can attest to that because it lost the 9-year-old earlier this month from the virus. She is one of more than 468,000 Americans who have died from COVID-19, but many do not think of children when considering those who perish due to the virus. Her aunt Erica Gongora told TODAY she is channeling her grief to help others raising children in the midst of the pandemic.
“(Makenzie’s parents) followed all of the guidelines that they were given from the doctors, and the doctors as well are baffled why Makenzie was one of the children that was taken by COVID,” Gongora said.
Makenzie’s mom, Kristle, is an essential worker in the medical field, while her dad, Nathan, is an Army serviceman who has served two tours overseas, according to a GoFundMe page set up for the 9-year-old, who is described as “soft spoken, tender-hearted, sweet, and loving.”
The first signs that her parents got of potential issues was Jan. 29, when their child complained of a throbbing headache to the staff at her after-school program at Scarborough Elementary School. After coming home, her family checked her temperature and realized it was elevated. Her mom, according to her maternal aunt Victoria Southworth, got her checked out at the Brook Army Medical Center later that day. There she received a COVID-19, strep and flu test. Only the COVID-19 test came back positive.
“Kenzie did not have any respiratory issues,” Southworth said. “There was nothing major going on. All the symptoms were mild.”
Her mom was advised to take Makenzie home and monitor her fever. If the symptoms worsened, Gongora was told to bring her back to the hospital. Through the weekend after her headache, there were few signs that she was fighting the virus.
On Feb. 1, it became more clear how the virus was affecting Makenzie. She seemed to be more exhausted. She headed to bed early that evening. By the time her mom checked on her, she was gone.
“My sister-in-law later checked on her at night and realized that she was no longer breathing and could not find a pulse,” Gongora told TODAY.
The playful fourth-grader, who loved playing Roblox, had a dainty frame for her age, but the family did not know of any underlying health issues.
Makenzie’s school district in Northside, Texas, addressed her death in a statement on behalf of her school.
“The Scarborough Elementary School community is saddened by the loss of fourth grader Makenzie Gongora,” the statement read. “Our thoughts are with her family during this very difficult time.”
Makenzie’s family is waiting for more information about her cause of death. According to both parents’ sisters, her body was sent to a lab in Dallas to be examined. An autopsy is pending.
“Hopefully that’s going to give us the answer as to whether or not this was completely COVID related, or exacerbated by COVID or nothing to do with COVID,” Southworth told TODAY.
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