SWV’s Cheryl “Coko” Gamble has taken in her late cousin Sheila Laney’s kids. The recording artist recently sat down with PEOPLE to give insight into her decision to rear her twin cousins.
“My youngest is 20 and my oldest is 27,” Coko said of her biological children. The recording artist thought she had an empty nest after her sons, Jayye Michael and Lil Tracy, moved out. Then, Gamble’s cousin fell ill with cancer. Coko promised to care for her loved one’s 12-year-old son, DJ, and daughter, Nevea, before her cousin passed away.
“She was sick,” Gamble said of her cousin. “She had lupus, and we feel like she knew that she was sick already and that she wouldn’t be here much longer because she was getting things in order,” the recording artist shared. “We were like, ‘Of course, sure, no problem,’ and she was getting paperwork in order and everything. Shortly thereafter, she got really sick and she passed away, and so here we are today.”
Coko took to Instagram on Friday (Mar. 24) to celebrate PEOPLE giving her decision the spotlight. “It’s family,” Gamble shared with the publication. “I would want somebody to do that for me,” the artist added.
“[I’m] pretty sure my mom would’ve wanted somebody to do that for her, so when she asked it was like a no-brainer, absolutely,” Gamble shared. “I have the room. We were just that tight. She knew we had her back and we knew that she had ours, if anything ever happened.”
Coko is already settling into her new role as a caregiver to her late cousin’s children. “Nevea is autistic and DJ, he’s just brilliant,” the recording artist told the press. “It’s been very loud,” Coko admitted when speaking of the vibe in her home since welcoming tweens.
“I’m used to it being quiet because my kids are grown,” Gamble explained. “It’s been very active, and we stay busy,” she added. “Because my mother, myself and Jayye, he’s here, my youngest son. My mom gets up in the morning with them. I do Nevea’s hair, Jayye picks out the clothes. It’s like teamwork.”
Photo: Coko Gamble/Instagram
