16-year-old Jaqueline Paisano was handed the toughest imaginable start in life.
As a newborn, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The doctors managed to remove 90 percent of the tumor in 2011 and everything looked positive.
But last year, Jaqueline, who needed a wheelchair to get around, was forced into scoliosis surgery.
Still, few could guess what the girl had gone through when they saw her; she was always happy and offered a smile.
”Even though she couldn’t talk, I knew that with her smile she could make the world fall in love with her,” her mom, Roxanne, told 9News.
But unfortunately, coronavirus would change everything for this brave little girl. This week her family confirmed that Jaqueline had died of COVID-19 complications. She then became one of the youngest people in Colorado to die of of the virus.
According to Jaqueline’s devastated mother, her daughter’s health began to decline last week. She immediately noticed that something was wrong with her otherwise so happy and lively girl.
Doctors at first thought it was just a common cold when Jaqueline got watery eyes and fever. But soon, the 16-year-old had trouble breathing and she was taken to hospital on April 15.
Somehow, Jaqueline had been infected, even though the family had been in quarantine for three weeks.
“It’s hard for me to wake up in the morning and not see her but I know better in a better place,” Roxanne told KDVR.
The George Washington High School 10th-grader is mourned by many – both family and friends. She really made a lasting impression on everyone who met her.
“Jackie brightened our days, and challenged us to find joy in every moment,” according to a letter from the school’s principal.
According Roxanne, Jaqueline loved going to school. She would often wake up at 4 a.m. and yank on her mom’s hair or pinch her to get her to wake up so she could get ready for school.
“She brought so much joy to everyone around her,” her mom told Chalkboard.
George Washington High School principal Kristin Waters also shared a poem Jackie wrote for a school project, following the prompt “I Am.”
I AM SASSY AND STRONG
By Jaqueline Paisano via communication device
I am sassy and strong. I think about school. I want attention. I am sassy and strong. I feel happy. I worry about my health. I cry when I am in pain.
I am sassy and strong.
I dream about doing things with my family.
I hope to always be included.
I am sassy and strong.
I am a person and more than my disability.
A GoFundMe page has been created for the Paisano family.
”This girl is one of the most outstanding loving person to be around. Jaqui was a very smart beautiful young lady who everyone wanted to be around. Jaqui loved to laugh loves to mess with people.She was born normal and ended up having a tumor and ended up having surgery at a young age with left unable to speak and walk. She was a person who could do anything she put her mind to,” one of the organizers behind the fundraiser writes.
My condolences to the family. Jacqueline was indeed a very special and beautiful girl.
No parent should ever have to bury a child. I hope the family can, at some point, find some peace.
Prayers to you and your family in this difficult time.🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
