Black girl, 9, youngest person to die from COVID-19 in Florida
Family starts GoFundMe for her burial and hospital fees, saying Kimora Lynum was a fun-loving girl who loved simple things like making new friends and going to the park
A 9-year-old girl, who had no known underlying conditions, is the youngest person in Florida to have died from complications of the coronavirus.
Kimora Lynum’s family said that despite tracing everyone they had been in contact with, they could not find a positive case leading to her infection.
READ MORE: 11-year-old boy becomes youngest patient to die of coronavirus in Florida
Her mother, Mikasha Young-Holmes, said that her daughter had a loving heart. The young girl loved playing video games.
In an interview with WCJB News, Young-Holmes said that the girl fell ill on July 11th. Her family took her to the children’s pediatric hospital where she had a temperature of 103. She was treated for a urinary tract infection, and never tested for COVID-19.
On the afternoon of July 17, the girl went to take a nap and stopped breathing.
“I was shaking her, yelling at her,” her mother said, “I yelled at my mom and told her to come in here because Kim is not breathing.”
Her grandmother performed CPR.
An ambulance took her to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. She was tested for the deadly virus after her passing, and her family was notified that she had a positive result.
The family has launched a GoFundMe page to support her burial costs.
In the description of the fundraiser, her mother describes her as “a jovial, fun-loving, and free-spirited 9-year-old child.”
“She enjoyed the very simple things in life such as going to the park and making new friends. She was highly sociable, inquisitive, and always happy.”
The family noted that no amount of money will ever “bring Kimmie back or fill the void” in their hearts. They are seeking funds to pay her medical bills, funeral expenses, and to create a scholarship fund in her honor.
READ MORE: Teen dies after party exposes her to COVID-19, mom gives drug as cure
According to CNN, Lynum is the fifth minor to die in Florida from COVID-19.
Data has shown that African Americans die from the virus at three times the rate of white people.
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