An elementary school teacher in Connecticut is caring for her 7-year-old student's infant brother while the boy's family recovers from COVID-19.
Luciana Lira, a bilingual /ESL teacher at Hart Magnet Elementary in Stamford, Connecticut, became a temporary guardian for the baby at the beginning of April, according to NBC News.
Lira was contacted by her student Junior's mother, Zully, on April 1. Zully, a Guatemalan asylum seeker who asked media organizations not to reveal her last name, was eight months pregnant at the time. She had called Lira to tell her she had COVID-19 symptoms, and asked her to call her husband.AdvertisementUpon going to the hospital, Zully tested positive for COVID-19 and was told she would need an emergency C-section.
Lira only knew Zully and her husband, Marvin, through parent-teacher conferences, but jumped to help in any way she could.
"I did not think twice about it. ... When that mom called me asking for help, it did not even come across my mind not to say 'yes,'" she told NBC
The baby, named Neysel, was born five weeks early on April 2. Days later, Marvin and Junior also tested positive for COVID-19, ABC New York reported.
Lira stayed by the family's side and worked as a translator between them and the doctors. When the baby was ready to go home, she offered to take care of him while the family recovered.AdvertisementThe family agreed, and now Lira has been caring for the baby at home for more than a month, alongside her husband and son. She is in regular contact with Zully, Marvin, and the child's grandmother in Guatemala.
Lira told CNN that she's in contact with the family "a thousand times a day," and they can't wait to have Neysel home.
"The family is amazing. I mean, amazing. They love their baby, they can't wait to be reunited," she said.AdvertisementZully was in critical condition at Stamford Hospital for several weeks, and is now recovering at home. She and her husband have yet to test negative for COVID-19, and Lira plans on caring for Neysel until they do.
Lira also set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to help the family, and so far it has raised more than $26,000.
"We care about our students we care about their families and everybody needs to know we're here for them and just want to help," Lira told ABC New York.AdvertisementRead the original article on Insider