12-Year-Old Gage Park Boy Dies Of Coronavirus

CHICAGO — Cook County’s youngest victim has died of complications related to coronavirus. Ernesto Guzman, 12, of Chicago’s Gage Park neighborhood, died just after midnight on May 14 of at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

The Cook County Medical Examiner listed pneumonia as the primary cause of death with a COVID-19 infection as a contributing factor. The boy also suffered from underlying conditions including asthma, sleep apnea and Charcot-Marie-Tooth, a rare disease that weakens the nerves controlling the muscles.

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“I’m sure every parent is saddened to hear this news, every life lost is a tragedy and it’s more emotional when it’s a child,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “There’s no way to predict who will have these severe outcomes.”

The Chicago Teachers Union posted on Facebook that Guzman was a student at Acero Marquez Elementary School. His uncle, Sergio Lara, created a GoFundMe campaign to help cover funeral expenses. Lara said his nephew was six when he was diagnosed with CMT. Since his first surgery, Guzman said, “he’s been fighting for his life with his strong spirit.”

“While he may have been taken from us at such a young age, we will never forget the importance of unity and family he valued so much,” his uncle wrote. “He was constantly surrounded by love and happiness, and we know he’s made an impact on anyone he’s met.”

As of Friday, the Ernesto Samuel Lara Guzman GoFundMe Campaign had raised $24,610.

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