Praying for this family: Parents mourn the loss of their kindergartner who died from COVID-19

Nov 7

Article By Dawn Adams-Peterson // EEW Magazine Online //

We should all remember to pray for parents like the ones in Texas who are grieving the loss of their 5-year-old daughter from coronavirus complications, and mourn with them as Romans 12:15 instructs.

Tagan Drone, a once vibrant and healthy kindergartner died Friday, Oct. 30, after testing positive for COVID-19, says her family.

Her mother Lastassija White and father Quincy Drone talked to news station KAMR and explained that something wasn’t right with Tagan Tuesday when she became unusually exhausted.

"She was just sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. That went on until Tuesday and Wednesday,” said White. “She was still eating and drinking, and then Wednesday night she started throwing up. So that Thursday, that’s when I decided to take her to the ER.”

Tagan tested positive for the novel coronavirus, but doctors released her to go home and said, “She would be fine." In the wee hours of the morning, however, White discovered her daughter in bed unresponsive but breathing. Though Tagan’s parents dialed 911 for help, it was too late, and the child died.

"My daughter was perfectly healthy. Perfectly healthy. There's no way that should have happened," her emotional mom told the news. Her father added that he believed their daughter "could have been saved."

"This doctor told us that our child would be fine, and our child didn’t even make it 24 hours," he said. "She died within the next 15 hours."

According to Tagan’s online obituary, she had “the brightest smile and the charisma to match her beautiful personality.” She had just begun kindergarten at Coronado Elementary School in Amarillo.

At a press conference, Casie Stoughton, the city's public health director, shared condolences with the family, saying, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to that particular family and any family who has lost someone here in our community.”

As of Friday, more than 9,815,400 cases of COVID-19 and at least 236,400 coronavirus-related deaths in the United States have been reported.