A teen from California was forced to take over the care of his five siblings after their mother died from coronavirus.
43-year-old Brenda Martinez died from Covid-19 after the whole family tested positive for the novel coronavirus back in August.
While the eldest of her children, 19-year-old Juan Jose Martinez, also experienced symptoms of the virus, he managed to recover from his illness. His mother’s condition, however, deteriorated and she started to experience difficulty breathing.
Brenda was rushed to Palmdale Regional Medical Center where she was hooked to a ventilator. Her kidneys failed and her lungs eventually collapsed. One week later, the mother tragically passed away.
Her death left her entire family shocked and devastated as she only appeared to be suffering from mild symptoms of coronavirus.
Speaking to Fox LA, Juan said: “I feel like she’s at peace and she put up a fight, honestly. I was just a big brother and then after my mother passed, I became a father, mother and a big brother at the same time.”
As the 19-year-old added in an interview with NBC News, he’s trying to comfort his younger siblings to the best of his ability. “It’s still hard on them, but I try to comfort them the best way I can. At times we all cry together,” he admitted.
Speaking about their mother, Juan expressed: “She was just always careful. She would usually stay home and took extra precautions. She would always wear a mask when she stepped out. She would always sanitize.”
Because their father is not around to help the family, Juan set up a GoFundMe page to raise the money the family needs to get through this ordeal.
“I promised my mother that I will keep my siblings together and take care of them,” Juan wrote.
In an interview with Fox, he also said that he wants to make sure his siblings are “good health-wise, and making sure they’re up to date with doctor’s appointments, dentists and stuff like that.”
As 15-year-old Juanna said after her big brother took over the role as the head of the family, she is grateful for his support and dedication.
“I love how supportive he is and is just doing the best that he can for all of us at the moment. I just love the fact that I can turn around and I can talk to him, just like I would with my mom. It’s been really hard,” she said.
“It’s different from a woman and a guy to talk to without having my mom to talk to, but at the end of the day, at least I still have an older brother to look up to.”
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