Single mother, who battled and won fight against cancer, passes away due to coronavirus leaving her six children alone
Sundee Rutter, a mother of six, endured a very tough and challenging battle against Stage 4 breast cancer. Even although she was battling the disease, she still managed to work everyday so that she could provide for her children. This inspiring, strong woman from Everett, Washington, went against all odds and defeated cancer. However, another sad turn of events took her way from her six children.
On March 3, the 42-year-old mother was feeling a little sick and thought she may have the coronavirus. But "(doctors) informed her her she didn't have it and she went and self-quarantined herself at home for four days," said Jessica Harris, Sundee's best friend, as reported by KUTV 2News.
Image source: GoFundMe
But at home, Sundee's condition quickly deteriorated, and she started facing difficulties in breathing. On March 7, she was taken to the hospital by her son. "And she passed away on the 16th," said Jessica.
Like many others, Jessica believed the pandemic had been blown out of proportion and wasn't as bad as it seemed. But "when I got the news of her, I was like 'Oh my God, this is not something to play with, this is serious' and now my outlook is different," she said.
Image source: Facebook
After seeing their mother fight through cancer and then losing her life to COVID-19, Sundee's six children are now left alone to fend for themselves. The children already lost their father a few years ago. They kids who are a tightknit bunch now got to take care of each other, with the youngest being 13 and the oldest 24.
Image source: GoFundMe
"Her children need somebody to help them because the oldest is going to be leaving college and trying to find housing so he can take care of his siblings," Jessica said with tears in her eyes. "And that's really tough."
A GoFundMe page was set up for the children to help raise funds for the siblings and their housing needs. "Sundee was an absolutely amazing mom and instilled only the utmost of values in her children," the page read. "I have never known a group of siblings who stick together and take care of one another as much as these kids do. The oldest three are in college and the youngest three are in high school and middle school. Tyree, the oldest of the family, graduates from college in June and will be trying to secure housing so that he can finish the job of raising his siblings that his mom could not."
Along with trying to find the means to take care of each of them, Sundee's children and the people who knew her are trying to cope with her loss.
Image source: facebook.com/lancemunch.chambers
Jessica told KOMO News, "She was a wonderful person, and there’s not many like her out there anymore. Great friend, great mother, great wife, she was a wonderful person,” said Harris. “We’re pretty devastated, she beat cancer and lost the battle to Coronavirus? It’s just crazy.”
What Sundee's children now hope to do is carry forward the values she instilled in them and push each other along through this tough time. One of the siblings, Alexis, describes her mother as "genuine, selfless, courageous, hard-working, and caring."
Image source: https://www.facebook.com
"She is always the first to lend a helping hand to those in need and has consistently remained positive and resilient through the many curve balls life has thrown her way," Alexis wrote on the GoFundMe page. "As a single mother of six children (ages 24, 21, 20, 15, 14, 13), she has made it her highest priority to instill in us all of the amazing and upheld values and morals she possesses, with high hopes that each of us are able to make positive changes and impacts on our friends, family, and community."
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