At the beginning of September, just as school was starting to get underway, a heartbreaking story went viral.
A 28-year-old third grade teacher died from complications due to COVID-19.
Demetria “Demi” Bannister tested positive for the virus on September 4 and died a few days later.
Now, weeks after her death, her family is dealing with yet another loss. Demetria’s mother Shirley Bannister, 57, has also died because of the virus.
“[It has been] very traumatic. This is our family [and] definitely will not be the same without them. It definitely leaves a void,” Shayla Jones, Shirley Bannister’s niece, told ABC News.
Shirley was diagnosed with COVID-19 the day her daughter died.
According to reports, she and her husband went to the hospital to get tested, but were turned away.
“She tried more than one time to go to the hospital and they wouldn’t admit her because they felt that her symptoms weren’t severe enough,” Shayla said.
Shirley, who was the Department Chair for Nursing at Midlands Technical College in Columbia, South Carolina, eventually tested positive at an urgent care. Her husband tested negative.
She was immediately admitted to the hospital and within a week, she died.
“[Shirely Bannister] took it very hard,” Shayla said. “It was a multitude of things, you know, mainly about Demetria’s passing and I know that was definitely a big impact [on] her.”
“She had so much to give, so this is like an unexpected gut punch for the whole family,” her brother, Dennis Bell told CNN.
These heartbreaking stories are being repeated all around the world, especially now that we have surpassed one million deaths from COVID-19.
It is absolutely horrible that this virus has been wreaking havoc for so long and we haven’t been able to work together to control it.
May Demetria and Shirley rest in peace.
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