SHELBYVILLE, Ky.— When Sara and Doyle Manley's grandson Justin Cline came over, it was hard to keep him out of the pool.


What You Need To Know

  • Justin Cline loved his family, school and playing the drums

  • The teen was nonverbal but practiced and perfected saying “I love you”

  • He was hospitalized after a COVID-19 diagnosis and was on a ventilator for a month

  • His grandparents hope more people get vaccinated 

“A couple of times, I got him out and I didn’t have the gate shut and he would go back and jump in with his clothes on,” said Sara. 

Justin and grandparent’s dog Buster were inseparable. (Sara Manley)

The 15-year-old young man with autism also loved their dog Buster, making beats on the drums, McDonald’s strawberry shakes and taking pictures. 

“He was on the go from the time he woke up, six, seven o'clock — till I don't think he ever took a nap. Even when he was a baby, he was just an Energizer Bunny,” said Doyle.

Justin was nonverbal, but with practice, those closest to him say whistling was his way of communicating.

There was one phrase he perfected that he already communicated with every smile. 

“One day I was driving him to school. He just looked at me and says, 'I love you.' No dragging it out, just perfect. I thought I was gonna have to stop the car and cry,” said Sara. 

That special moment was just days before Justin was diagnosed with COVID-19. 

“I went in and the doctor come in and she said, 'He needs more help than we can give him here.' I knew then it was bad,” said Sara. 

Justin spent the next month on a ventilator.

“The COVID destroyed his lungs. I mean, absolutely destroyed,” said Doyle.

This picture of baby Justin was taken in Gatlinburg on a trip with Sara ad Doyle. (Spectrum News 1/Ashley Brown)

A strict policy made it hard for his family to visit while he fought for his life.

“Sometimes when he did come out from underneath sedation, he may or may have recognized us. I reckon I hope he did,” said Doyle. “There at the end, the doctor told us that those of us that wanted to see him, we could come on."

The kid who was always happy, dancing and whistling took his last breath in the hospital. 

“He's just left a hole that will never be filled by anybody else,” said Sara.

Justin was their grandson related not by blood but by the heart.

Justin’s father George was a close friend of the couple’s son, who was killed in a car accident in 2005.

George named his baby boy Justin after their late son.

“We just fell in love with him,” said Sara. “I put on his first birthday card that he had already done wonderful things because he had healed two broken hearts just by being born."

The couple hopes their heartbreak inspires others to get vaccinated and for those who question the vaccine to not influence others.

“Until someone you know dies from taking the COVID shot, or becomes seriously ill from taking the COVID shot, this is America. You can have all the opinions you want, but you do not influence other people that may be on the fence about taking it,” said Doyle. “As far as I'm concerned, if you convince one of those people, not to take the vaccine, they get into the same situation we are and they lose a child, mother, brother, friend, those deaths are on your hands. I mean, I’m sorry, but that's just the way I feel about it.”

They believe everyone has a part in the battle against the virus that claimed Justin’s life and so many others. 

“I’ll always remember him, always. God sends angels sometimes to earth and I believe he was our angel," Sara said.

Justin is survived by his mother, father, a little brother and another very special grandmother.