A woman is upholding a pact she made with her sister, to raise each other’s kids if the other one is to pass away.
Chantale McCall, 35, died from complications from COVID-19 in September. Her husband, 40-year-old Lance Martin, then lost his battle with the virus a month later on his late wife’s birthday. Francesca McCall, 40, unexpectedly had to make good on her promise she made to her sister, per AL.com.
“I’m taking it day by day,” said McCall. Both sisters were Alabama residents and have 12 children between them.
Read More: Alabama boy, 5, killed after being forced to leave car as punishment
“We are very close,” said McCall. “We always used to have discussions like, “if anything happened to any of us, we knew that we wouldn’t want our children to be separated. When [UAB Hospital] called us up there, I told her that she wouldn’t have to worry. I would raise her kids and take care of them like my own.”
McCall says her sister’s five children are doing as well as can be expected with losing both of their parents, but says they are afraid of going outside and contracting the virus.
But McCall, who is a single mother of seven children, and working at an issuance company says, “We’re doing OK. They have their [tough] moments at times, processing everything.”
West End Purity Holiness Church of God on Cotton Avenue in Birmingham raised a GoFundMe for to support the family.
Read More: Alabama boy, 5, killed after being forced to leave car as punishment
“My daughter and I wanted to do something special for the holidays for the children who lost their parents to COVID-19,” said Carla McDonald whose brother sits as pastor of the church. “Even with the emotions that she has gone through raising 12 children, [Francesca McCall] needs everlasting, everyday help, and she’s not the type of person to ask for anything.”
The funds will go toward Christmas gifts and necessities for the children.
“The children ages are two to seventeen years old,” per the GoFundMe page. “We are raising money to be sure the children have a MERRY CHRISTMAS dealing with this unanticipated death of both parents. Donations will go directly to the children every day needs.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!