SUFFOLK, Va. — Parents in Suffolk who lost their daughter because of COVID-19 are keeping her memory alive by trying to help others.
Teresa Sperry was only 10 years old when she died from COVID-19 complications in September.
Nicole and Jeff Sperry are remembering their daughter Teresa in every way they can.
“She loved dancing, singing, drawing, playing in the rain," Nicole Sperry said.
Last week, the Sperry family, with the help from the Glaser Progress Foundation from Seattle, created the Our Missing Stars foundation.
“Just being able to carry on her compassion for other people, that's the driving force," Sperry said.
“We definitely started with our intention of being able to honor Teresa, and not just her, but recognizing hopefully other children that have died from COVID and MIS-C."
A video on the foundation's Facebook page shows their commitment to their daughter's memory and the memory of others.
“COVID took her within five days. The only way this makes sense is if my daughter saves people. I don’t want other people feeling this," Jeff Sperry said.
As they raise awareness, they're also encouraging people to get vaccinated by sharing a link so that people can find clinics near them.
“Jeff and I are looking into starting a nonprofit for it so that we will be able to continue to honor Teresa by doing scholarships or being able to give money to kids so that they can participate in things that Teresa would have enjoyed doing,” Nicole Sperry said.
Teresa was a student in Suffolk Public Schools when she died. Her parents said her classroom job was to take sick classmates to the nurse’s office.
After her death, the Suffolk Public Schools division conducted an internal investigation, where they determined that Teresa did not take any sick students to the nurse’s office.