Milford family who lost son to pediatric flu says their hearts will never be the same

A Milford family says their hearts will never be the same, one year after 12-year-old Aaron Zenus died from flu-related illness.

“Every day, putting one foot in front of the other,” said Aaron’s mom Danielle Zenus.

Sitting at their dining room table with Boston 25 News reporter Malini Basu, Danielle and Joseph Zenus still can’t believe their 12-year-old son is gone. Friday marks one year since he died from the pediatric flu, which they say all started with a headache.

“It was just a fever and a cough. They were like, oh it sounds like a virus, keep doing what you are doing,” said Zenus.

Mom and Dad took Aaron to the emergency clinic after his throat started to hurt.

“By the time they saw us, he had a seizure. They were saying it was critical at that point. He had full-blown pneumonia, he didn’t have it 24 hours before,” said Zenus.

Despite having the flu shot, within 24 hours, Aaron was gone.

“We only had a few minutes, and everyone came rushing in and kicked us out,” she said.

>> Previous: 12-year-old from Milford dies from flu-related illness

Every day that goes by, Aaron’s 5-year-old brother Jackson asks about him.

“Just trying to explain all that to him, knowing that he won’t see him. He won’t experience the rest of his life with his brother. It’s hard,” said Joseph Zenus.

Aaron was known to be a happy-go-lucky child.

“He would rather go out and volunteer his time than go out with his friends,” Zenus said.

He loved to play baseball and idolized basketball player Michael Jordan, but it was Aaron’s kind heart that would always shine through.

“He would stand up to the biggest bully, and no matter what the reason was. He knew what was right, and what was wrong," said Zenus.

The Zenus family has started the Aaron Zenus Foundation in hopes that other children will live through his footsteps. The foundation hopes to raise $100,000 to expand services to the Milford Special Olympics community.

Aaron’s school Stacy Middle School dedicated a park bench for him with the Dr. Seuss quote “Remember me and smile for it is better to forget than remember me and cry.”

>> Related: Flu, and not coronavirus, is bigger threat locally right now, doctors say

On Friday afternoon, the Boston Public Health Commission announced there have been over 1,700 confirmed cases of the flu in Boston residents since the end of September 2019.

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