A hospital worker started a GoFundMe for his co-worker who lost his 8-year-old son to an illness that's believed to be linked to COVID-19.

Adwaith Sukumaran, who was from Elmsford, died earlier this month at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital. Officials say he had an emerging illness called "multi-system inflammatory syndrome" after he contracted COVID-19. His parents also had the coronavirus. 

The boy's dad Sunish is an emergency department technician at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Yonkers, and had been out of work for a month because he was sick.

News 12 spoke to Donovan Mais, the devastated co-worker who started the GoFundMe for the family.

“I’m a father. I have kids. I was just heartbroken by it," he says. “I started it for him and it took off on its own. We were able to raise enough money for his son’s funeral and then some.”

The GoFundMe has raised more than $34,000 so far. 

At least three child deaths in New York are being linked to the rare inflammatory disease believed to be caused by COVID-19, and two others are under investigation. Symptoms of the emerging illness include a high fever and rash, similar to Kawasaki disease or toxic shock syndrome, and officials say most children with the syndrome have tested positive for COVID-19 or its antibodies.

A total of 85 cases of the syndrome are now being reported by the state.

Sukumaran's death is now among those under investigation by the state Department of Health.

Sukumaran's mother is currently pregnant and expected to have a C-section on Tuesday. 

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