South Carolina Mother Of 10 Dies From COVID-19 A Week After Emergency C-Section

A 36-year-old mother of 10 died from COVID-19 just a week after undergoing an emergency C-section to deliver her youngest child.

Ashley Bennett, from South Carolina, died on January 8, according to People. Bennett leaves behind 10 children, ranging in age from newborn to 18-years-old and her husband, Darryl. 

According to a GoFundMe set up for Bennett’s family, she was a stay-at-home mom to daughters Julie, 18, Sadie, 5, Maciem 4, Mia, 2, and sons Tyler, 15, Alex, 15, Bredyn, 13, Mikey, 12, and Logan, 1. She was also taking classes to become a funeral director. 

Bennett’s sister Courtney Bucknam told WIS-TV that her sister was 34 weeks pregnant when she tested positive for COVID-19, along with the rest of her family. 

For both Ashely and Darryl, the COVID-19 quickly developed into bronchitis. Although she didn’t have any pre-existing conditions, her health quickly began to deteriorate. On January 1, her doctors performed the emergency C-section to deliver baby Eliza. Tragically, Bennett was unable to hold her newborn daughter before she passed away.

“She was an amazing person,” Bucknam said of Bennett. “If we can learn anything from this, it’s that COVID is so serious, and we need to truly take precautions because she was only 36. She had no underlying conditions, and she was gone basically within 10 days.”

WLTX reported that the Richland County coroner Naida Rutherford confirmed that Bennett died from coronavirus.