COVID continues to devastate families across the nation and the world. But what happens when a baby in care loses her foster mom to the virus. While this story is very heartbreaking, it does speak to family and love.
Sharon Henry, 59-years-old, was hospitalized with COVID-19 in April. Henry suffered from lupus and did not recover from the virus. After receiving the call that Henry had passed, her sister Marjorie Allen was devastated and worried for Henry’s foster baby Kaylin.
Allen described her sister to CBS News as, “Joy. Just pure joy. She loved this baby so much. She doesn’t leave her anywhere unless she has to,” Allen said. “It was her heart. Her whole soul was this baby.”
Part of the Family
The whole family mourns the loss of Henry and scrambled to see what could be done about Kaylin. The family reached out to Kaylin’s case worker Olukayode Ojo, with Rising Ground. They felt that keeping Kaylin with the family she has grown with just made sense.
Allen even reached out to Kaylin’s birth mother to ensure that this planned would be okay with her.
“I assured her that this is a good family. They will continue to care for your child until she returns back to you, and, of course, she agreed with me,” Ojo said.
“This is really the best possible situation that we could ever ask for,” Rising Ground’s Aldervan Daly said.
“We were ecstatic. We were screaming. We’re so happy,” Allen added.
Finding Comfort Together
What happened to Henry weighs heavily on her family and friends. They all find comfort in baby Kaylin, knowing that Henry would be proud of her sister and family for stepping in.
“I love her so much. This is all I can do for her, carry on this legacy for her,” Allen said.
We hope that baby Kaylin and her new family can heal and continue to find comfort in each other. For those looking to help children in foster during the pandemic, join us HERE.
