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Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly proclaims March 7 COVID-19 Memorial Day

Families who lost loved ones to the virus reflect
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly proclaims March 7 COVID Memorial Day
Kansas COVID Proclamation.jpg
Posted at 10:54 AM, Mar 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-07 23:25:10-05

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Sunday, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly proclaimed March 7, 2021, as COVID Memorial Day in the state to honor those that have lost their lives to the virus.

Kelly said she chose the day because March 7 marks one year since the first recorded case of COVID-19 in Kansas.

Since then, Kansas has recorded 298,406 COVID-19 cases and 4,831 deaths as of Friday according to the 41 Action News COVID-19 tracker.

Those deaths have a widow mourning the loss of her husband.

"We were looking so forward to having a party and celebrating our 50th and that just didn’t get to happen," Joanna Wilson, who lost her husband in March of 2020, said.

That pain is also shared by Cody Cook who lost both of his parents on the same day to the virus.

"It’s obviously very tough losing both parents but whenever you kind of have that silver lining that both of them passing in the way they did that was just so poetically beautiful it did bring Alexis and I a lot of peace," Cook said.

The impact also felt in the first responder community after Kansas City Fire Department EMT, Billy Birmingham, also lost his life to the virus.

"We just love him and we just want everybody to know he wasn’t just somebody that was doing a job to get a paycheck. He did his job because he loved it," Birmingham's daughter, Octavia Standle, said.

While there's progress in defeating the virus, it's still around.

"We’re holding each other strong and most importantly our parents left a legacy that we can hold our head up high and we want to share with people and that gives us a lot of strength in itself," Cook said.

The loss of those lives aren't lost on Kelly.

"Today, a year after the first recorded COVID case in Kansas, we honor the memories of those we have lost and recognize the front line workers who have battled this virus over the last year," Kelly said.

Anyone interested in viewing the proclamation can do so here.