A Georgia teen is urging people to wear masks and be more careful during the coronavirus pandemic after he lost both of his parents in less than a week to the deadly virus.
“If you don’t wear it for yourself, then wear it for the next person,” Justin Hunter, 17, told WSBTV. ” Because you could be saving that person’s life.”
Justin, a senior in the Metro Atlanta area who is also a linebacker on Johns Creek High School football team said that he intends to dedicate his senior season to his parents, Eugene and Angie Hunter.
The teen told the news station that his entire family tested positive for COVID-19 about two weeks ago. He was asymptomatic, but his parents soon began to get very sick.
“Their temperatures skyrocketed. They had headaches. Horrible cough. They felt very lazy,” he said.
As their symptoms got worse, they went to the hospital, however, it was too late.
Eugene Hunter, 59, passed away on July 26, while Angie, 57, passed away on July 30.
Justin Hunter still does not know how his family came into contact with the virus, as they were all taking the expected precautions.
“We were a regular family just trying to stay safe during this pandemic,” Hunter said. “When my mom would go to the store, she would be wearing a mask and she would be wearing gloves.”
As the teen deals with the loss of his parents, his community has stood behind him. Within 3 days, a GoFundMe to help provide Justin with his basic and educational needs has raised more than $250,000.
Justin for his part has remained as strong as he can, saying that he’s going to keep on working hard.
“They never raised me to sit around and feel sorry for myself in any situation, and I just gotta keep going and pushing,” the teen said. “I know they’re happy up there and that’s what makes me happy.”