MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Tennessee woman shared the story of losing her mother to COVID-19 despite all the efforts she took to protect her from being exposed.
>> Coronavirus checklist: 100-plus disinfectants that may kill coronavirus on surfaces
Memphis resident Tina Baker-Shinault told WHBQ-TV that if you love relatives who are elderly, it is time to take the pandemic seriously.
The family of Terry Adams said their goodbyes at a graveside ceremony Friday. Only close friends and family could attend because of COVID-19 concerns.
>> Coronavirus symptoms: What you need to know
Adams’ only child told WHBQ that she is beginning the process of life without her mom. WHBQ asked Baker-Shinault what the one thing is she will miss most about her mother.
"Her smile, her smile. Her smile," she said.
>> Coronavirus: Know the facts directly from the CDC
As a nurse, Baker-Shinault said she did her best to protect her 67-year-old mother from contracting COVID-19, but somehow, Adams caught the virus.
“It could have been that rail she went down the steps with. It could have been the door she touched. I don’t know," said Baker-Shinault.
>> Coronavirus: Can the government make you stay home if you are sick?
Her mother needed dialysis regularly because of kidney failure. And when the virus took hold, it never let go.
“She didn’t have more fight. I heard that she fought. She really did. She fought,” said Baker-Shinault.
Baker-Shinault told WHBQ the black community needs to take the warnings about prevention seriously, particularly elderly relatives.
"I had to talk to my mom's nurses over the phone. I had to look at my mom on FaceTime, and when my mom went into respiratory distress, I had to call the front desk to come in there and help her," she said.
The pandemic will end and Shinault's grief will ease. In the meantime, her warning about COVID-19 is from the heart.
“We have to take it seriously,” she said. “I know we don’t like being at home. People like to be out, but it is for our safety.”
Baker-Shinault said she plans to have a larger memorial service for her mother when the pandemic is over.
