NEWARK, N.J. — Two adult sisters in New Jersey had been hoping over the years to have children, though the timing hadn’t yet worked out.
In May, their mother died from COVID-19, and now they’re teaming up to raise a 4-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl adopted by their mom when she was in her late 40s.
“We lost our mother and her husband to COVID-19, but we gained two little angels,” said Katherine Guzman, who is now carrying for the children with sister Jennifer Guzman. “We want to continue to raise them together, as a team.”
From left, siblings Zavion, Jazzmyn, Katherine, and Jennifer Guzman look at pictures of Zavion as an infant, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Newark, N.J. Their mother, Lunisol Guzman, who as a single mother raised three children and adopted two more in her late 40s, died of COVID-19, leaving 4-year-old Zavion and 2-year-old Jazzmyn motherless. Guzman’s adult daughters, Katherine and Jennifer, have stepped up to raise the children their mother embraced in middle age. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) 
Siblings Jennifer Guzman tickles her 4-year-old brother, Zavion, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Newark, N.J. Their mother, Lunisol Guzman, who as a single mother raised three children and adopted two more in her late 40s, died of COVID-19, leaving Zavion and his 2-year-old sister Jazzmyn, motherless. Guzman’s adult daughters, Katherine and Jennifer, have stepped up to raise the children their mother embraced in middle age. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) 
From left, siblings Katherine, Jazzmyn, Jennifer and Zavion Guzman talk about getting ice cream if the children behave, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Newark, N.J. Their mother, Lunisol Guzman, who as a single mother raised three children and adopted two more in her late 40s, died of COVID-19, leaving 4-year-old Zavion and 2-year-old Jazzmyn motherless. Guzman’s adult daughters, Katherine and Jennifer, have stepped up to raise the children their mother embraced in middle age. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) 
Katherine, left, and Jennifer Guzman talk about their mother, Lunisol Guzman, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Newark, N.J. Lunisol Guzman, who as a single mother raised three children and adopted two more in her late 40s, died of COVID-19, leaving her 4-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl motherless. The sisters have stepped up to raise the children their mother embraced in middle age. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) 
Siblings Katherine and Jazzmyn Guzman talk to each other, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Newark, N.J. Their mother, Lunisol Guzman, who as a single mother raised three children and adopted two more in her late 40s, died of COVID-19, leaving 2-year-old Jazzmyn and her 4-year-old brother, Zavion, motherless. Guzman’s adult daughters, Katherine and Jennifer, have stepped up to raise the children their mother embraced in middle age. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) 
Siblings Jennifer and Zavion Guzman talk to each other, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Newark, N.J. Their mother, Lunisol Guzman, who as a single mother raised three children and adopted two more in her late 40s, died of COVID-19, leaving 4-year-old Zavion and his 2-year-old sister Jazzmyn, motherless. Guzman’s adult daughters, Katherine and Jennifer, have stepped up to raise the children their mother embraced in middle age. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) 
Jennifer Guzman consoles her 2-year-old sister, Jazzmyn, after she hurt her finger, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Newark, N.J. Their mother, Lunisol Guzman, who as a single mother raised three children and adopted two more in her late 40s, died of COVID-19, leaving Jazzmyn and her 4-year-old brother, Zavion, motherless. Guzman’s adult daughters, Katherine and Jennifer, have stepped up to raise the children their mother embraced in middle age. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) 
Katherine, left, and Jennifer Guzman look at an album of photos from the wedding between their mother, Lunisol Guzman, and Ismael Lugo, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Newark, N.J. Their mother, who as a single mother raised three children and adopted two more in her late 40s, died of COVID-19, leaving her 4-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl motherless. The women have stepped up to raise the children their mother embraced in middle age. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Four years ago, with the children she had raised as a single mom all in their 20s, Lunisol Guzman decided to become foster mother to a baby boy, Zavion. She adopted him two years later. And after his birth mother had another child, Guzman adopted that baby girl – Jazzmyn – as well.
Katherine Guzman recalled when their mother said she was experiencing shortness of breath they were surprised because they didn’t know she was feeling so poorly.
“March 27th my mom’s in the hospital, March 31st she goes into cardiac arrest,” Katherine Guzman said.
The sisters are now determined to keep their mother alive in her adoptive children’s memory.
“So it’s a blessing and a curse because we lost our mom, but a blessing overall,” Guzman added. “Life keeps going and we want to continue our mother’s work I think that’s the most important thing.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.