MOOSIC, Pa. — They are more than just numbers. A new website has popped up as a tribute to those who have died of COVID-19.
It is called Mourning America, and it is a place where family and friends can post pictures and obituaries of people who have died of COVID-19.
There are more than 7,500 names there now, including more than 200 Pennsylvanians.
The goal is to give people a free place to remember people they have lost, especially if they couldn't say goodbye during the quarantine.
"There are two things about mourning that are so critical. One is that we get to hold each other and we get to cry together, and the other is that we get to share stories with each other remember the person we lost, and that has been taken away from us during this pandemic," said Dermot Jevens, co-founder of the website.
Unlike traditional obituaries, these can include personalized notes and pictures and are free to post.
"It hit us hard that we needed a place to remember people are individuals, not just as a rising number," said Jevens.
The website developers call this a labor of love, something they felt they needed to do to give people a place to mourn and remember.
Dermot Jevens said everyone on Mourning America has posted about the pain they feel having lost someone to COVID-19.
"If there's one message from Mourning America, it's please try to do what you can to protect your daughter, your son, your aunt, your uncle from becoming part of this horrible statistic."