An 11-year-old Florida boy who struggled with various diseases throughout his life became the state’s youngest victim of the coronavirus.
Daequan Wimberly, of Miami, had suffered bodily deformities and kidney failure at 18 months of age, when Bishop Jerry Lee Wimberly of Ambassadors of Christ Church welcomed him as a “medical adoptive child,” the Miami Herald reported.
After being officially adopted, Daequan became a brilliant presence in the church until his death on Tuesday, Gladys Brown, a family friend and church member, told the newspaper.
“He was happy. He could have been an usher anywhere,” Brown said. “He wouldn’t stop until he shook everyone’s hand.”
As a child, Daequan persevered with rickets and underwent dialysis three times a week. But his health worsened after he had a fever two weeks ago.
He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he was diagnosed with COVID-19 on June 19 and finally died of pneumonia 11 days later, according to the Herald.
Daquean was the third Florida child to die from an infection after two 17-year-old boys had died of COVID-19, the Herald reported.
Florida is among many states across the country that experience a large increase in coronavirus cases after moving to reopen their economies. The state has seen massive daily increases during June, with more than 169,100 confirmed cases and more than 3,600 deaths.
Pastor Wimberly, 74, did not know where Daequan contracted the virus. The boy traveled by bus to a school for students with special needs and regularly traveled to Jackson Memorial Hospital for treatment before contracting the insect.
Despite his condition, Daequan was always full of charisma and quickly became beloved by parishioners, according to Wimberly.
The pastor tragically failed to comfort Daequan in his final moments. Wimberly also contracted the coronavirus and remains hospitalized, although he is expected to be discharged this week.
“We teach him to be a good person,” said Wimberly. “The Lord blessed him. He turned out to be a very loving person. “
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