DETROIT (WXYZ) — It's been five years since Skylar Herbert lost her life to COVID-19. The 5-year-old was the first child in Michigan to die from the virus.
Her life was cut short on April 19, 2020, when doctors had essentially no knowledge about treating a child for COVID-19.
I first spoke with Skylar’s parents after she died. Five years later, I sat down with her mom again to talk about her life after losing her only child.
"I remember saying when she passed ‘man, I can't wait for five years to come because I thought that it might be different. But it's still the same, still that same feeling," Lavondria Herbert said of the pain she still caries today.
“Every day is a hard day. But I get up every day and I live my life every day because I know she would've wanted me to do just that.”
Skylar’s parents are continuing to keep her memory alive.
“Just really talking about her all the time. Red was her favorite color. It was never mine, so I buy a lot of things that's red, I buy a lot of things with heart. We have a teddy bear that was made because she loved stuffed animals, of course — we might have 30 of those traveling in the car with us sometimes,” Herbert said.
Herbert and Skylar’s father Ebbie are both Detroit first responders and even today, they says they continue to push for people to get vaccinated.
"We had no idea, of course, about COVID at the time. They kept saying kids couldn't get COVID, so for her to get it and for her to pass from it,” Herbert said.
She says staying vigilant about your health is a priority to her because even after losing Skylar, she has had her own health challenges to face.
“I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2024. But I tell people all the time that the cancer was nothing compared to losing my child,” Herbert said.
While Herbert beat cancer, getting over the loss of her daughter is one fight she says she may never win.
“It’s just hard,” Herbert said.
