UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Sara McManus faced loss when her adoptive parents, Lora and David McManus, both died from COVID-19 on Sept. 5, 2020.
Monday marks five years since North Carolina’s first COVID-19 case was confirmed.
Sara, who was 14 at the time, was the first in her family to contract the virus, followed by her parents. She recalls the difficulty of calling an ambulance for them and saying goodbye to her mother through FaceTime due to hospital restrictions.
“They passed seven hours apart; it was all just really hard,” Sara McManus said, reflecting on the day her parents died. “I had to mature at a young age because I couldn’t do anything else.”
After her parents’ deaths, Sara was taken in by her aunt. However, the tragedy continued as three other family members also succumbed to COVID-19 in the following weeks.
Despite these hardships, Sara found support from her mother’s coworkers at Union County Water, who provided her with special deliveries for months.
Lora McManus was beloved in customer service, and her colleagues wanted to ensure her daughter was not forgotten. In honor of Lora’s legacy, Union County Water established the ‘Lora McManus Customer Service Award’ that same year.
Steven Ellis, a former coworker of Lora, was the first recipient of the award.
“The gifts and all that we gave to her would not bring Lora back, but to know that she left a lasting impression, as big as that was, was big to them,” said Steven Ellis, Customer Service Supervisor at Union County Water.
Sara McManus graduated high school last year, keeping her parents’ memory close with a special locket. She is now striving to live independently at 19 years old, aiming to make her parents proud.
Sara McManus continues to navigate life with resilience, inspired by the kindness and legacy of her mother, Lora. Her story is a testament to the enduring impact of love and community support in the face of profound loss.
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