MIAMI (WSVN) - A woman said she is grappling with the aftermath of a fire that took the life of her daughter and left her 5-year-old grandson with severe burns.
7News cameras captured the child, T.J. Mack as he played with his toys at the apartment of his grandmother, Angel Lankford, in Miami, Friday afternoon.
Moments later, he sat on Lankford’s lap.
“Do you love your grandma?” she asked.
The boy nodded.
“Say, ‘I love Grandma,'” she said.
“I love Grandma,” Mack replied.
The 5-year-old was recently released from the hospital.
“T.J. was burned on 22% of his body. He’s been going through ongoing surgeries, physical therapy,” said Lankford.
Several months ago, the child’s grandmother showed 7News the charred remains of the fifth-story unit along Northwest Fifth Place, in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood, where Mack and his mother Stevangela were injured on April 12.
Lankford said Mack barely survived the fire. His mother was burned on over 80% of her body.
Mother and child were rushed to the hospital, where they remained for months. Stevangela succumbed to her injuries on Monday.
“He’s constantly asking about his mom, and just yesterday, I had to explain to him that she left us,” said Lankford, “and it’s real hard, because he got up this morning saying, ‘Where’s Mommy?'”
Along with helping her grandson through these difficult times, Lankford said they will struggle to pay for his mother’s funeral, as well as the portion of the medical bills their insurance doesn’t cover.
The family said they’re thankful to have Mack with them, but that doesn’t change their heartache.
“It’s not easy. Yesterday was one of my bad days. It’s like, I didn’t want to get up and get out of bed because my daughter’s not here,” said Lankford. “How do I go on? And then I have to think she left me with her child, so I have to get up each day and put that first foot out of the bed and keep going, for her son’s sake.”
The family has created a GoFundMe page to help with Stevangela’s funeral arrangements. If you would like to make a donation, click here.
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