A Florida family continues to mourn the loss of their beloved matriarch, who fostered over 300 kids and adopted seven after she passed away due to coronavirus-related complications.
Earlier this month, Susan (Sue) Braley, 66, had woken up one morning with a sore throat. Having suffered from a pre-existing condition, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, it was imperative that the Osceola County resident receive immediate attention.
Braley was rushed to the hospital due to low oxygen, CNN reported.
However, when her husband Dennis, 67, was sent and admitted to the same hospital that Sue was located at, the family learned that she had passed away.
“Right when he made it to the same hospital, that’s when she passed,” her grandson Thomas told the outlet.
Over 20-plus years, Sue made a significant impact in her community by dedicating herself to helping children.
“She’d say, ‘Carrie, as long as we have a home and love to give, we’re going to keep giving,'” Sue’s biological daughter, Carianne, 45, told the Orlando Sentinel.
“It was amazing,” added Charlyn Moore, the owner of a local private school. “Some families have enough after fostering for a year or two, but Dennis and Sue wanted to keep going.”
The family is hopeful that Dennis, who is currently in the ICU battling COVID-19, will make it through and have a full recovery.
“They’ve already lost their first family, this is their second family, and we have kids who are older who understand that,” said Thomas. “Like Jazmin, who’s 18 years old, she lost her mother, and now she’s lost her second mother. We don’t want them to go through that experience.”
Following her mother’s passing, Carianne started a GoFundMe page to raise money to help keep the family together, People magazine noted.
“Covid-19 has rapidly and unexpectedly affected our family,” she shared. “We are in immediate need to help fund family housing, shelter, food, clothes, and other urgent resources for the children so that they can stay together and are not displaced.”
“After all the family has been through, there is no greater way to honor the life and legacy of our beloved Susan than to make sure the children she cared so deeply about are able to stay together as a family,” she added.
As of Jan. 31, the fundraiser had raised more than $19,000.
