42-year-old Washington mother who beat cancer dies from coronavirus days after being told she wasn't infected
A 42-year-old mother of six, who beat breast cancer, reportedly died this week after contracting the deadly coronavirus. The woman from Washington, identified as Sundee Rutter, had complained of not feeling well on March 3 while she was recovering from surgery following her cancer battle and believed that she may have coronavirus infection.
Rutter's best friend, Jessica Harris, however, said that "doctors told her she did not have it and she went and self-quarantined herself at home for four days." Rutter started experiencing difficulty breathing and was admitted on March 7 to a hospital in Washington. After nearly one week of fighting with COVID-19, she passed away on Monday, March 16. Reports state that the 42-year-old had already lost her husband a few years ago and now left six of her children orphaned, according to the Sun.
On a GoFundMe page set up by the family, Rutter's daughter Alexis wrote: "For those of you who know or have ever crossed paths with our mother, Sundee, it was likely made clear to you immediately how genuine, selfless, courageous, hard-working, and caring this woman is."
"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," she said. "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."
The fundraising organizer, Carrie Frederickson, on the page wrote that Rutter did not have a strong immunity system to fight the deadly virus because of all the cancer treatments she had undergone before.
"I am setting up this fundraiser on behalf of the Ross-Rutter family. Their beautiful mother, Sundee, fought a long, hard battle in the past year with breast cancer and survived! She continued to work at her job at Ross Dress for Less throughout her treatment as she was the sole provider for her six beautiful and amazing children," she wrote.
"Unfortunately and tragically, She contracted the virus that is making the news lately, " she wrote. "She fought valiantly until she could not fight anymore. She is preceded in death by the father of her children. This has not been an easy road for these kids. They have been through a lot in the past several years. Sundee was an absolutely amazing mom and instilled only the utmost of values in her children."
Meanwhile, Rutter's friend Harris described the 42-year-old cancer survivor as a "wonderful person," adding that there are not many people like her anymore in the world.
"Great friend, great mother, great wife, she was a wonderful person," Harris said of Rutter. "We're pretty devastated, she beat cancer and lost the battle to Coronavirus? It’s just crazy. 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. And that's really tough."
Coronavirus has claimed 218 lives in the United States and has infected 14,373 people as the numbers continue to rise in the country and across the world.