Mom combats COVID-19 misinformation at school board meeting after burying 10-year-old

(CNN) — On Sunday, Nicole Sperry said her last goodbyes to her 10-year-old daughter, who died from COVID-19. Less than 24 hours later, she was down a podium combating misinformation from parents astatine a Virginia schoolhouse committee meeting.

At a Chesapeake Public School District meeting in September, parents and assemblage members denied the beingness of the deadly microorganism and advocated for the removal of the district’s mask mandate, insisting the pandemic is over.

“My connection for you and each that are listening is that COVID is not over, nary substance what radical who person been lasting up present person said,” Sperry, who besides teaches successful the district, said during Monday’s meeting. “On Sept. 27, during the past meeting, determination were parents oregon acrophobic citizens that voiced misinformation to you.”

“They said that COVID is fundamentally implicit and that steadfast radical bash not die. When they were sharing this information, their opinions, the information was, I was sitting adjacent to my steadfast daughter’s deathbed. She died 5 days aft showing symptoms. I americium definite they were speaking to what they’ve experienced, but they are wrong.”

As of Tuesday, the Virginia Department of Health has recorded a full of 14 pediatric and adolescent deaths successful the authorities since the opening of the pandemic.

‘COVID is existent and our privation is that radical instrumentality it much seriously’

Apart from a breached bony successful her limb erstwhile she was younger, Teresa was a steadfast 10-year-old societal and blessed girl, who ne'er had the flu oregon adjacent an receptor infection, Nicole said.

Teresa attended schoolhouse astatine Hillpoint Elementary School successful Suffolk, 20 miles extracurricular of Norfolk, Virginia, wherever determination is simply a mandatory disguise mandate successful place. Nicole and her hubby Jeff Sperry are vaccinated on with their 2 older sons. Teresa and their youngest 9-year-old lad were not yet vaccinated but were eagerly waiting to go eligible.

Teresa’s COVID symptoms began with a headache 1 day, a fever the next, and worsened implicit the people of a fewer days. She developed a nagging cough, truthful atrocious it forced her to propulsion up, truthful Nicole took her to the exigency country wherever Teresa was tested for strep throat, which came backmost negative, arsenic good arsenic COVID, but those results were pending astatine the time.

The adjacent day, Teresa’s affirmative COVID trial results came backmost to her parents and erstwhile Jeff went to cheque successful connected her successful her room, helium recovered her unconscious. Teresa was rushed to a section infirmary and transferred to Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters (CHKD) Norfolk wherever she died.

“Children are getting COVID and they’re getting it astatine schools,” Nicole said. “We request to guarantee that each protocols that you arsenic a schoolhouse committee are saying that we bash are being done. I hatred wearing a mask, but I bash it due to the fact that I bash not privation my kiddos that I thatch to get sick.”

Nicole has not returned to the schoolroom since Teresa’s decease but said erstwhile she was teaching, she would marque definite each her students were masked decently without calling a azygous pupil out, changeless usage of manus sanitizer and would often hitch down precocious postulation surfaces.

“I explained to my kiddos wherefore we marque definite to screen our noses due to the fact that this is simply a respiratory illness,” she said. “I explained that we respire done our noses and rima and that’s however it tin spread.”

During Monday’s meeting, Nicole urged the assemblage to “do everything that we tin to support our children” and acceptable an illustration for them connected however to deterioration masks decently and amusement compassion and empathy.

“COVID is existent and our privation is that radical instrumentality it much seriously,” she said.

Gone but not forgotten

Though Teresa’s ceremonial work was beauteous yet hard, Nicole said the emotion and enactment from radical astir the satellite has been overwhelming and has carried them done this hard time.

“We’ve heard from respective radical that are getting their vaccine and taking this much superior due to the fact that of her story,” Nicole said.

Sharing her daughter’s communicative successful hopes of changing 1 person’s caput astir getting vaccinated against COVID-19 oregon wearing a disguise to support others was ever the extremity erstwhile The Sperry’s archetypal spoke astir their family’s loss, she said.

Teresa was an avid scholar who had an appreciation for the arts, loved drawing, dancing astatine home, singing and was an progressive Girl Scout.

“COVID-19 took her distant from america arsenic rapidly arsenic she started showing symptoms,” Nicole wrote successful Teresa’s obituary. “And her bosom that was ample capable to attraction astir everyone she met was not beardown capable to enactment with us.”