Justin Hunter is mourning the loss of his parents due to the coronavirus. He told the local station WSB-TV that within four days, both his parents died.
On July 31, the 17-year-old teen wrote on Twitter about the deaths of his parents. He is thankful to his parents for making him who he is today. He is hoping that his parents know that many people look up to them. As he shared family photos from when he was a young boy, he could not help but call his parents his role model.
Thankful for all the support he received
The Atlanta boy is a football player and an incoming senior at John Creeks High School. He thanks his social media followers for their outpouring support.
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His football team also shared a message about the orphan teen. It asked for some prayers because it said that one of their players lost both parents in four days. It wrote that it needs prayers for Hunter, then wished for Gene and Angie's soul to rest in peace.
They all got infected.
Hunter explained during an interview with WSB-TV that his whole family got infected with COVID-19. He said that he was asymptomatic, but his parents were very sick. He explained that his parents had apparent symptoms like high fever, headaches, horrible coughs, and they felt very lazy.
Both Hunter's parents were quarantined separately at home until both were hospitalized. On July 26, his dad, Eugene, 59, died, and on July 30, his mom, Angie, 57, followed. He shared that his parents met in college and were married for 35 years already. CBS News has contacted other people close to Hunter for some more information.
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A GoFundMe was created to help Hunter with his expenses. It wrote that this week, the death of Eugene and Angie had left everyone with heavy hearts. It is asking for support to establish trust for Justin. It would help enable the 17-year-old to pursue his educational dreams, aspirations, and basic life needs.
Others also wrote emotional messages for the couple. Keva B. Napper wrote that their brother and former saxophone player at Mount Zion has died due to the coronavirus. He added that the wife also died, leaving their teenage son alone. He also said that they would surely miss Eugene because besides being a great musician, he also had a kind heart.
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His advice to everyone
Hunter said that they were just a regular family who tries to stay safe during this pandemic. He shared that his mom wore masks and gloves when she went to work, so he urges everyone to wear their masks. He said that if you do not want to wear it for yourself, do it for the person next to you because you could be saving that person's life.
