An Edmonton woman, and otherwise healthy mom of two, passed away from COVID-19 within a month of feeling symptoms.
Between Christmas and the New Year, Juanita Storms was sleeping a lot and running a fever, according to her mother, Virginia Sutherland.
“So I said you better call the COVID(-19) line,” Sutherland remembered.
The two live together, along with Storms’ 16-year-old son and her 12-year-old daughter.
Under advice from health officials, Storms went to isolate in a hotel while she waited to be tested for the virus.
It wasn’t long after she received the positive COVID-19 test that her health rapidly deteriorated.
Storms was admitted to the hospital within a few days but even then, her family stayed optimistic.
Her sister, Maggie Quinlan, remembers hearing the news and thinking her sister would get better soon.
“She was going to be fine. I was sure of it. So I didn’t worry too much.”
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But Storms’ health took a turn for the worse and things continued to go downhill fast. She was struggling to breathe and called her mom to say she was being intubated.
“And I just told her not to worry and everything will be alright. Her children are here and I’ll take care of them,” Sutherland said through tears.
Despite being stable for a few days on the ventilator, things took a turn for the worse and the hospital reached out to Sutherland.
“On (Jan. 21), I got a call that I should go to the hospital that evening and that her organs were shutting down,” she recalled.
Sutherland brought Storms’ children to say goodbye, but their mom was unconscious, on a ventilator and life support.
Her family couldn’t believe what was happening.
Storms passed away from the virus on Jan. 22, only weeks after she started to feel unwell.
“I was just in shock,” Sutherland said. “COVID(-19) is very real.”
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Storms’ family believes she caught the virus while shopping over the holidays. Her mom still remembers Storms telling her about that outing.
“She said to me: ‘It’s really crowded in there.'”
Sutherland said Storms always wore a mask, and took precautions to protect her family. Storms didn’t have pre-existing health conditions herself, but her mom is elderly.
Sutherland said she always thought she would die before her daughters.
“She was 43-years-old. I never thought it would happen to my family.”
Quinlan said she’ll remember her older sister for her bubbly personality.
“She was always bright and colourful. She always had rainbow hair,” she said.
Her family is making arrangements for a traditional Indigenous funeral ceremony, and started a GoFundMe to help cover the associated costs.
“It’s going to be so hard to go on without her,” Sutherland cried.