20-year-old woman uses last words before intubation to tell mother she “doesn’t want to die” from COVID

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gofundme Cléo Berger

A devastated family mourns the death of Cleo Shepherd, a 20-year-old woman who told her mother before her intubation that she did not want to die from COVID-19.

Tragically, Shepherd died of complications from the respiratory virus on Monday, according to her mother, Summer Carr.

“They had to intubate her, and just before she intubated her, the last thing she said to me was, ‘Mom, I don’t want to die,'” Carr told local news channel KTBV. , recounting his last conversation with his daughter. .

“And I promised her she would be fine. And that was the last conversation I ever had with her,” she recalls.

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Shepherd was first hospitalized in Ontario, Oregon, a town on the border with Idaho, Carr said. She was then transferred to the Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise.

According to a GoFundMe campaign set up to raise money for funeral expenses, Shepherd developed pneumonia in hospital, which resulted in kidney failure and ultimately “his heart just couldn’t keep up.”

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Shepherd “fought hard” for a week before her hospitalization and spent another week in the intensive care unit before her death, according to the fundraiser’s description.

“She was 20 and full of life. This shouldn’t happen,” Carr told KTBV.

“She was just the kindest soul and she loved children so much. She walked into a room and she lit up,” the mother added. “And although it hurts us, we know Jesus is holding her in his arms right now. And I just want to thank everyone for their continued prayers.”

As information on the Coronavirus pandemic changes rapidly, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some information in this story may have changed after posting. For the latest news on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use the online resources of the CDC, WHO and local public health services. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise funds for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline workers to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to make a donation, click on here.

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Cleo Berger