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death
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2019-08-07
The “Greatest Pandemic in History” Was 100 Years Ago – But Many of Us Still Get the Basic Facts Wrong
This article was published on August 7, 2019 just months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020. The author’s intention was to share facts about the Spanish Flu so that we can be better prepared in case a similar catastrophic event occurs again. The similarities between Spanish Flu and the current pandemic cannot easily be ignored. It makes one wonder what will be said about COVID-19 100 years from now? -
2020-06-07
Faith and Values: A Buddhist Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic
This article speaks to a specifically Buddhist response to the pandemic. The monk in this article offers ways to deal with the pandemic from a Buddhist perspective. While Buddhism is a specific worldview, the advice given in this article can be used by all people. Thinking about questions concerning life and death should be confronted and asked rather than cowering away. From the response given, the pandemic should teach people to love and care for all, even in the midst of a deadly virus. -
2021-01-29
Computer
covid sucks and its killed people in my family -
2021-01-29
Letter to future generations - Pandemic experience
I submitted a letter or my experience of this pandemic. The reason why it’s important is because it tells my experience of the pandemic and describes what affect it had on me. It relates to the pandemic because it tells a story of how I feel during it. -
2021-01-27
COVID -19 Pandemic Collage
This is a collage about the pandemic. -
2021-01-27
OC health care worker dies after receiving 2nd COVID-19 vaccine shot; official cause of death pending
With any rushed medical treatment unforeseen consequences can occur. As the vaccine is released in the 10s of millions I pray Tim Zook's story is a completely isolated incident. -
2021-01-28
Statistics
There are 2.16M people who. Died from covid world wide out of 100M cases. Almost everyone knows someone who got it. They got a vaccine now which is good to stop covid. In my state alone there are 38,927 deaths. I hope that the end of covid is near although covid is spiking right now but they say it is just because of the holidays. And it is slowly going down. If the vasine works we should be back to normal after sumer. I am not very scared of getting it because mostly only old or unhealthy people die from it. -
2021-01-26
For The Sake Of My Time
At first it was nothing, Then something for all. I wrote and I drew, I played ball. The wind blew outside, strong and loud, But I was inside, away from the crowd, today was no day, for something out loud. And when my notebook fell to the floor, I cried. When my mask shifted on my face, “They could die” But at the end of the day, I picked up my pages for the sake of my time. Author's (Explanatory) Note: I stitched this together through scraps in my notebook that I had written over the year. Some of them on simple topics, others on grave events. This is important to me because it's some of my writing that didn't come planned and pre-packed, but an experience and struggle put together through snippets of my life and genuine, if simple, emotions that are coursing through every single one of us, only to be amplified in times like these. -
2021-01-27
Losing Grandma
A week and a half ago was my grandmother's 90th birthday. I shared here about our family's disappointment at not getting to have a big party and instead visiting her at her window. Now she's in the ER, awaiting a transfer to hospice. It doesn't seem to be COVID, although the tests aren't back yet. No one knows what happened or why. There are no ICU beds available and resources in general are limited to investigate why a 90 year old woman who was fine 12 hours earlier is now unresponsive and on a ventilator. No one can go visit her. We're not sure if we will be able to visit her at the hospice. Grandma has had health scares before but nothing like this. Before we would be coordinating visitors and making sure someone was by to see her everyday, even if she was unconscious. Now we’re limited to the family group text as my aunt follows up with doctors by phone and relays information to the rest of us. She’s pulled through before but this time feels different. The doctors are all stretched so thin and resources are so limited that all the odds are against her. I used to take Grandma out at least once or twice a month. We’d go to a movie or just lunch. Maybe run some errands. I haven’t seen her without a window between us in nearly a year. I’m probably never going to get to hug her again. -
2021-01-26
we miss our family members
COVID 19 has taken many lives that should not of been taken. all were very sad but we have to move on the death toll of covid will just keep going until the vaccine is spread out to the world. you can't stop it for now it has to run its corse but to prevent it wear a mask and social distance! -
2021-01-24
statistics of covid
there has been 3.19 million cases and 37,118 deaths in California alone. the us has 25.2 million cases and 419k deaths. in the whole world there are 99.4 million cases and 2.13 million deaths. the cases got more over the holidays but know is going down a little. no one I know has died but some of them have got it. hopefully this can all be over with soon than later and we get back to normal -
2020-12-15
No, COVID-19 vaccines don’t contain Satan’s microchips (and other scary conspiracy theories aren’t true either)
The article addresses four of the main COVID-19 vaccine conspiracies as well as expert opinions about them. -
2021-01-21
MW: Travel Nurses
My sister apparently graduated nursing school at the best and worst time. The tragedy of watching COVID-19 has left the hospital inundated and patients dying. The fear of coming home and being infected. However, new opportunities have presented themselves. My sister is working as a travel nurse for COVID units and this is a rather lucrative situation. If you knew how much these travel nurses were getting paid your mouth would drop. Let's just say the doctors at the hospital are getting jealous. -
2021-01-22
Symptoms
Thankfully no one too close to me or myself have had covid. Some of my dad's friends have gotten covid, probably because they're way older than my friends. My dad's really close friend had to go to the ER because his lungs weren't working correctly and his other friend died of covid, I guess that's a symptom. On tiktok a challenge going around if you had covid was to eat a bunch of random things. This was because losing your taste was one of the symptoms of covid. Some people who had covid didn't even have any symptoms, but they still carried the deadly virus. -
2021-01-22
A Covid Experience
I learn about myself through the stories of others; this account is both a recounting of my friend Stephanie’s story, a conversation we had after she contracted Covid19, and my own introspection about the different impact that written and spoken stories have. -
2020-03-29
Being affected by covid
Our family friend Joe Diffie had and died of Covid in March of 2020 -
2021-01-21
My neighbors that had COVID 19
At the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, my family and I got a message from our neighbors telling us that they had COVID 19. It was a severe case and all of the adults had it. Eventually, their grandfather passed so we sent them flowers and brought them dinner every week. Later we received a note saying how much they enjoyed the flowers and they sent us their dinner request. It was a tragic turn of events but the light was we got to know our incredible, resilient neighbors better. -
2021-01-21
Symptoms
I have only had 1 family member get COVID-19. It was my great grandma (102) who passed a few days ago due to COVID-19. She had trouble breathing and One of the people in her home must have brought it to her. One of my teachers also got COVID-19. He said that he only had like a fever for a few days but still doesn't feel 100%. One of my friends family went to dinner with someone with the rona but didn't know at the time. They found out and freaked. Emily and I were at their house when they found out. They all got tested and were negative which made sense because none of them felt bad. My step-aunt and her house got COVID and they all had different symptoms. One kid lost taste and the other lost smell. My aunt got a fever and my uncle had trouble breathing. The symptoms of COVID-19 are all different. -
2020-10
Family Inheritance
My grandmother passed in July 2020, a few months after the Covid-19 pandemic began in the United States. She left behind a lot of miscellaneous things, including a number of family heirlooms that I have inherited. When we were packing up her trailer and storage containers, we had totes upon totes filled with family documents, awards, newspaper clippings, objects, and photographs. I feel as if I have my own personal archive of our family within these totes. I can't help being emotional about these things I now possess and grateful that my grandmother was a family-history hoarder. I can carry her memory on by taking care of them. One of the various objects was this letter/certificate in a frame, giving thanks and recognition to my great-grandfather for his military service after he had passed. I don’t know much about the paper itself, it seems pretty common and not a unique letter, but it was something nice and surprising to find within the boxes. -
2021-01-20
Plague Year
The Plague Year outbreak started in September 1665. The plague killed 7,165 people in one week. The Great Plague lasted for 18 months. At its worst, in September of 1665, the plague killed 7,165 people in one week. Around September of 1666, the great outbreak ended. The Great Fire of London, which happened on 2-6 September 1666, may have helped end the outbreak by killing many of the rats and fleas who were spreading the plague. The Plague killed an estimated 25 million people, almost a third of the continent's population. The Black Death lingered on for centuries, particularly in cities. Outbreaks included the Great Plague of London (1665-66), in which 70,000 residents died. -
2020-07-23
I need to learn not to take work home
A nurse copes with the loss of a patient. -
2021-01-17
Stress Continues After Death
As if the mounting deaths aren’t enough I’ve read stories of mortuaries having to turn loved ones away. It’s hard enough to lose someone, made worse by not being able to be with them, and then finding that you can’t even plan their memorial. I’ve noticed the obituaries section in the paper growing. When I saw this one it just made me so sad. I have such empathy for what families must be going through. So thankful that I am not experiencing the same. -
2021-01-11
The Cause of Covid-19
In January, my parents heard the news about a disease that originated in Wuhan China. The assumption was that the virus Covid-19 was caused by bats. In the food markets in Wuhan, I think since the meat was not healthy and clean, the person who ate it got contaminated. The virus was first discovered when a patient arrived at the hospital with an unknown virus. The doctor that tried to treat the patient is already dead. Many viruses have been caused by sick animals. People could get sick by eating the wrong part of poisonous animals such as pufferfish, so the idea of getting sick because of bats seem reasonable. -
2021-01-11
the beginning of the corona virus
I thought this was going to be like the common cold everyone would get over it in like 2 weeks. but after a few days it started to get a lot more serious in a way that everyone had to start wearing masks.i think the cause of how its spread so much is that some people don't want to wear a mask. my knowledge has changed because now I know a lot more than it can just kill people. some of my experiances with this is that when the people came across the news that they were saying that the first case of covid has came into the u.s., was that it was kinda confusing because I didn't know what it was. -
2020-06-17
Final Time Seeing Family
During the beginning of the pandemic which was considered to be the worst of it, my grandfather had passed away after years of battling dementia. Only a select few could attend the wake and funeral. My aunts and uncles as well as the grandchildren attended. It was very difficult keeping the 6 foot distance between one another during such a sad moment in time. This photograph is my family and I after the funeral. You'll notice that none of us were wearing masks at this point. This photo captured the very last time I ever saw my family all together in person. This photo shows how bad the virus got over the last couple months in the South Shore of Massachusetts. -
2020-12-14
The Daily Numbers, No More Beds
Since October, I religiously check the daily case rate everyday at 12:30 when my distance learning class breaks for lunch. Originally, I checked in outrage, as I watched the local numbers climb, while simultaneously hearing our school administrators claim our school of 2500 was “safe to open.” After Halloween, I spent a tense November planning to take a leave because there was no way I was risking my family to continue to teach in person but still over Zoom, unable to walk around, with kids unable to work in a capacity beyond their chrome books. Me, exposing myself unnecessarily to the virus inside my classroom with students, but teaching exactly as I would for distance learning, for the political facade that things are “normal.” 20 people dying a day in this county is not normal. These daily numbers climbing confirmed to me my gut instinct was right. Our school ended up having our re-opening cancelled by the state when our area moved into the most restrictive tier at the end of November. I had mixed feelings of relief, horror, and deep sadness. The day we hit 700 cases a day, I was in shock. When we crossed 1000, I was horrified. Last week, when we hit 2000 cases a day, I was in terror. Today and yesterday, we have reached over 3000 new cases a day, and there are now 0% ICU beds available in our county. I feel nothing but numb. Numb and exasperated that people here are still refusing to wear masks and still think going out is more important than the safety of our community. Oh, but don’t worry. My school still thinks it’s safe to open. -
2020-02-22
The Covid Virus
In February, I was in school. People started talking about this virus that started in China that was killing people and getting people very sick. It was in China so I thought that it wouldn't reach the U.S. Then when I got home I asked my parents about it. Then a couple weeks later they said that the virus got into the U.S. The virus spread all around the world. -
2020-12-10
The start of the great Covid-19
In January, one of the best basketball players to ever live died in a helicopter crash. After that, everything went downhill. Covid caused everything to close and we couldn't even hang out with friends because of how bad and fast it went to everywhere. Everything in my area closed up and most businesses went bankrupt and had to close. Now wherever we go we have to wear masks just to protect us from the virus. The cases keep raising and more and more people keep dyeing from it. This is my story -
2020-09-24
Christopher: Find the things that gives you peace
Christopher is the administrative aid at the African American Museum of Nassau County. He works with museum director, Joysetta Pearse, to promote understanding and appreciation of African American culture, art and tradition through education, interpretation, exhibitions, collections and programs for the enrichment of the public. Chris discusses his work, as well as how we hopes to come out stronger, on the other side of COVID. He also discusses the loss of his uncle and getting a diagnosis of his own during COVID. -
2020-12-10
How COVID-19 impacted my life
My experience during this whole pandemic has been devastating. I know a lot of my friends and family who caught the virus. Thankfully they recovered quickly and are okay but it was scary knowing they had it. Other than my friends and family getting the virus many other people caught the virus and sadly some of those people didn't make it. It's really sad. -
2020-12-09T17:33
First Year of Marriage and the Pandemic
I got married on May 11, 2019. There were no masks and no need to distance from each other. In July 2019, I got my first job working for my grandma as her caretaker. Since I had graduated ASU, I didn't have much going on, and I needed some way to occupy myself, as well as make money. I did things such as picking the oranges that would fall from the trees in her backyard and trash them so the area would look nicer. I cooked, I cleaned, and I assisted her in computer tasks that she didn't understand how to do. In December of 2019, my grandma had a few unfortunate things happen to her. First, she got pneumonia and had to be taken to the emergency room. She survived, but was weak. Later on, she ended up falling, and was then taken to a care center so that she could regain her strength and do physical therapy. When my grandma came back from the care center in January, I had a new job. Learning from what the physical therapist taught me, I used the exercise recommendations for her and helped her walk better again. It was no easy task, as my grandma can be quite stubborn, but luckily, she was willing to take direction from me in order to move around easier. We have been doing the physical therapy as part of her daily routine ever since. Due to my grandma's worsening condition, my mom and dad decided to move to my grandma's house in January, leaving the apartment mostly to me and my husband. This change was greatly welcomed, and it felt like we could experience married life without my family intervening nearly as much. Overall, January was a pretty good month for me and my husband. One of the biggest events that happened to me before the virus was the death of one of my cousins. On February 11, 2020, he commit suicide. It was a jarring experience. He had lived nearby with his wife and kid and helped install new electrical outlets in the apartment me and my husband were sharing with my parents until a new apartment opened in that same complex. Despite this, we were able to have a normal funeral, which was nice since it gave me some closure. I mostly felt bad for his wife and kid he left behind, since they would now have to figure out how to continue without him. By the time February hit, I was well aware of the virus by this time, but I was sure that majority of the problem was in China. Earlier that month, I had gone to the Dominican Republic to do some volunteer work, as I knew how to speak Spanish. I noticed travel restrictions to and from China at that time, and thought that the travel restrictions could help. This is why I mostly thought the pandemic was mostly China's problem. This idea was quickly changed when March hit. When March 2020 hit and there was a declaration of national emergency, I was very stressed by it. I kept on having images flash in my head of empty grocery aisles that I've seen from social media. Due to the panic that had occurred over the national emergency declaration, the grocery store in my area was completely out of eggs, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer, and the meat aisle was nearly emptied. There were rations on the amount of canned goods you could get. Me and my husband were able to grab a few, some of which my husband said were the "good ones that no one wanted". After that, my anxiety lessened and I felt like I could handle it. I was wrong, as I was not expecting full lockdowns later that month. By the time April came along, the lockdowns felt so severe to me that I couldn't escape anywhere. Bedsides my husband having to comfort me, one of the only things keeping me sane was the job of working for my grandma. I became even more thankful for that job since had I gotten a job in the service industry, or even a basic office job, I would have likely been let go due to being too new. Additionally, I was working full-time for a while, so money wasn't as much of an issue for me as it was before I had gotten the job. April was also when I had one of my worst anxiety attacks, and so to help me, my husband took me out to get some fast food and eat in a parking lot in order to not feel so enclosed. March felt similar to April. The big difference here though was that my brother had to come back from his LDS Church mission six months earlier due to the pandemic, so we ended up having someone new to live with when he got back. One of the nice things my family did, since church services were changed due to the virus, was having by brother bless the sacrament, as he had the authority to do so. By dressing for church and having it at my grandma's home, I was able to feel a bit more normal again, which helped me reduce my anxiety. When May hit, it was me and my husband's one year anniversary. For this special occasion, I booked an Italian restaurant and were able to dine-in for the first time in months. As more places started to open up, I felt my anxiety decrease, as I knew I could enjoy more things again. I am now writing this all in December 2020. The endless monotony of living without as many places to go has made this year feel like both the longest and shortest year that I have experienced. I know that things will change and things will go back to normal, and that is one of the things that is keeping me happy. My anxiety is the worst it has ever been this year due to the restrictions on everyday life, but I've learned that I can live through it, with the help of my husband. This was a trying year for many people's marriages, and to have this experience within the first year of marriage has made me realize how much I depend on my husband, but also that we can get through many tough things together. -
2020-12-07
The Home Within My Head: My Experience of COVID-19 In Prose
I have always been acutely aware of how poetry connects people across places and time. Today, more so than ever before, humans are grasping for a connection as intimate as physicality without having to be in the same room. This poem speaks to that struggle. I hope it helps others out there, suffering from isolation, to feel a bond across the deep chasms COVID-19 has cultivated in our new world. -
2020-12-06
Essay on how Americans use memes to explain their ideas
This is an essay on how Americans use memes to explain ideas and how they use them to explain better with people. -
2020-12-03
We're Still Breaking Records
After 9 months into the pandemic, people all over the world are experiencing COVID fatigue. The 2020 holiday season shows people are taking the pandemic less seriously than they were at the beginning. While many isolated themselves or had significantly smaller gatherings, some forget that the United States continuously breaks infection rate records. Nine months after the shutdown, the United States saw its largest increase in cases with 210,000 reported positive tests in a 24-hour period. -
2020-12-03
Surreal Photograph of Reality
I saw this on Twitter and it made my stomach lurch and turn. -
2020-12-01
Just A Number
Coronavirus is a global pandemic that has disrupted all of our lives. I was just ending my senior year of high school, and i felt i had gotten everything taken away from me. As the numbers spiked, it became really scary and I realized how serious this really was. I want to show how serious this pandemic is in a poem i wrote. -
2020-10-16
COVID hospitals
Throughout this pandemic, I understood the importance of wearing your mask, staying isolated and social distanced to help protect yourself and others. I hadn't been directly affected by COVID besides my work and school closing, but my health was great and I didn't need to worry about my safety regarding COVID. My mom on the other hand, was considered high risk. Being a cancer survivor, and having other medial issues stemming from surgeries and treatments, I did what I could to protect her. In October of 2020, she was admitted into MAYO Clinic ICU for surgery complications. I flew up the next day, and had to say goodbye with my dad. It was the hardest thing I've gone though in my almost 20 years of life. My mom was my rock, and the COVID precautions, although necessary and I understood them, made me angry. While saying goodbye, I had to put on what seemed like a hazmat suit. I had to wear a gown, gloves, mask, and face shield so that I could safely be by my moms side in her final hours. I am all for protecting everyone around me, and I understood the precations, but I was angry, not at the hospital or the nurses or doctors, but at the reality of the world. Due to COVID, I can't imagine the vast amount of people who aren't even allowed to be with their family members, and I am so eternaly grateful I was able to be with my mom, but I'm allowed to be angry, and I haven't let myself accept that yet. For now, I'll be working through my days one day at a time, and working through trying to not feel guilty that I was able to be with my mom when so many others weren't. I miss her everyday. -
2020-11-25
コロナ死者数 世界で140万人(2020年11月25日)- Corona deaths 1.4 million worldwide (November 25, 2020)
This is a Japanese news of reporting on how many cases we have currently. アメリカのジョンズ・ホプキンズ大学の集計によりますと、新型コロナの死者が24日、世界全体で140万人を超えました。 去年は結核による死者数が140万人で、感染症の中では最多でしたがそれを上回るのは確実で最大の脅威となっています。 新型コロナの感染は10月以降、世界各地で急激に再拡大していて感染者数は6,000万人に迫る勢いで増えています。 According to data from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, the death toll of the new corona exceeded 1.4 million worldwide on the 24th. Last year, the death toll from tuberculosis was 1.4 million, the highest among infectious diseases, but it is certain and the greatest threat to surpass it. Since October, the infection of the new corona has rapidly re-expanded around the world, and the number of infected people is increasing at a rate approaching 60 million. Video Translated by Youngbin Noh -
2020-11-21
Time
During COVID-19 I had three family members die. The hospitals were not allowing visitors, one thing I would want back from the pandemic was time. -
2020-07-23
Snap Judgment podcast episode on covid-19 in San Quentin state prison (CA)
Podcast episode produced by Snap Judgment in which they look at covid-19 outbreaks in San Quentin prison -
2020-07-04
Tío Pepe and COVID-19
Throughout July and August of 2020, my family went through the loss of my great uncle on my dad’s side of the family. We all called him as tío Pepe. Tío Pepe was an essential male figure throughout my dad’s life, and the only one of my grandmother’s brothers (my father’s mom) to maintain a close relationship with us. My grandmother passed away suddenly in 2013; my father and his siblings were not prepared, and it is still a sore subject for all of us to comprehend. Tío Pepe was the bridge that connected me to my grandmother and her history. Tío Pepe shared the same mannerisms, physical features, and life philosophies as her. My tío Pepe really helped my father’s family adapt to living in the United States after they moved from Laredo, Mexico in the mid-1970s. When he passed, the pain cut through generational experiences. It felt like a piece of me that was so deeply rooted, that I could not quite grasp because I was still trying to figure it out, was ripped away. Tío Pepe was in his 70s, so it’s not like he had an exceptional amount of time with us, but we thought it was enough. He was cognizant, independent, intelligent, and showed me new perspectives every time we talked. Losing him was like losing a vital source of my memory, my optimism, and my faith. This is a little insight into what it’s like to mourn the death of loved one due to COVID-19. I’ve formatted this entry as a loose timeline to capture the dragged-out period of fear, uncertainty, doubt, and mourning. This experience cast a haze onto my family as we tried to navigate an unnavigable disease and global situation. We couldn’t make sense of it all; we couldn’t carry out our customary responses to a death in the family which left us feeling powerless. Personally, it made me feel like I was almost drowning. I felt like I was barely making it over the water to take brief puffs of air, but I was never comfortable nor safe. It was long, painful, and empty. While this process tested our individual emotional strength and optimism, it never weakened our ability to unite as a family. If anything, this experience fortified our family bond. July 4, 2020 – The mayor and city government sent out several warnings against celebrating the holiday in large groups. I was spending the evening with my parents, brother, and his family when my mom received a text message from a cousin of ours describing how tío Pepe’s daughter, Beth, had tested positive for the coronavirus. Her children and boyfriend also tested positive, and that my tío Pepe and my tía (his wife) were awaiting any symptoms. July 10, 2020 – We got the news that an ambulance would be taking my tío Pepe to the hospital. At this time, San Antonio was going through its second major spike in cases, with less and less medical supplies available for incoming patients. My family opted for an ambulance just so tío Pepe would have a better chance at getting a hospital bed and being treated quickly. July 12 – July 18, 2020, tío Pepe’s first week in the hospital: He was unconscious, on a respirator, and kind of keeping steady. We hung on to the ‘no news is good news’ mantra, remaining optimistic, and continued to live our lives. We really did not think this disease would touch our family in any serious way. On July 17, 2020: I officially canceled my gym membership. I was one of the selfish individuals impatiently waiting for, and incredibly excited by, the announcement that gyms would reopen earlier that summer. I frequented the gym almost every day. I was aware that the risk of COVID-19 was rather high at fitness gyms, but I thought nothing could touch me because I’m young, and I was desperate for some normalcy. And, while if I had contracted the disease my symptoms may not have been severe, tío Pepe’s hospitalization made me realize that I could have lived with the disease and infected someone like my tío and forced them to endure unimaginable pain. I canceled my membership because the reality of COVID finally hit me. It’s sad that it took my tío suffering for me to understand. July 13 – July 17, 2020: We received news that tío Pepe had woken up from his induced state and pulled out all of the breathing tubes connected to his face, which threw a wrench into the progress he was making. The doctors decided to try to inject him with plasma from individuals who had already recovered from the virus and built up antibodies. The treatment seemed to be going well, and again, we remained optimistic. July 20 – July 24, 2020, the week of his death: On July 20, a Monday, my cousin Gabby called my parents to let us know that tío Pepe’s health had taken a swift turn downward. Tío Pepe’s organs had gotten infected. Every day leading up to his death ended with a phone call update, further informing us of his degrading state. Gabby earned her master’s degree in Public Health; she knew exactly what to ask the doctors and what their responses meant behind the cushioned language. I knew that Gabby was further sugar coating these messages to her parents and mine. I texted her separately asking her to tell it to me straight. She informed me that things were not looking good at all. She told me not to keep my hopes up. It was cold, but it was the most honest and reliable set of news I had gotten throughout tío Pepe’s time in the hospital. For four days, we were all hanging onto our phones for the next call or text message update. It was quiet; the uncertainty lingered and distracted me from everything. Tío Pepe passed away Thursday morning July 23, 2020. I had been working as a research assistant for St. Mary’s University throughout the summer. My mother received a phone call from my dad with the news while I was in the middle of conducting an oral history for the research project. My mom cracked open the door to my room but quickly realized that I was still on Zoom and walked away. As soon as I heard my door open I knew exactly what happened. I carried on with the rest of the oral history, closed out my work for the day, and kept to myself. When I clocked out I emailed my supervisors of the situation. I hadn’t told them when he initially contracted the disease, nor the roller coaster of updates throughout his time there. My supervisors were very understanding, and I took the next couple of days to myself. I went for a rather long run that afternoon to clear my mind. I came home, showered, and tried to distract myself by watching baseball with my parents. My dad came home and hugged us, also acting as if everything was no big deal. My dad frequently shared music with tío Pepe to let each other know that they were thinking about each other. From my point of view, I think this was a way for tío Pepe to check up on his nephew and remind him to keep his head up. My dad had put his phone to charge and began talking to us in the living room. I got up to go to the kitchen and passed by his phone, which was locked. When I passed by, his Pandora started playing “Lead Me Home” by Jamey Johnson. This happened completely by itself; I did not touch it and my dad was in the other room. Here’s a snippet of the song: I have seen my last tomorrow I am holding my last breath Goodbye, sweet world of sorrow My new life, begins with death I am standing on the mountain I can hear the angel’s songs I am reaching over Jordon Take my hand, Lord lead me home All my burdens, are behind me I have prayed, my final pray Don't you cry, over my body Cause that ain't me, lying there No, I am standing on the mountain I can hear the angels’ songs I am reaching over Jordon Take my hand, Lord lead me home I am standing (Lord, I am standing) on the mountain (on the mountain) I can hear (I can hear the angels songs) the angels songs I am reaching over Jordon, (over Jordon) Take my hand, Lord lead me home Take my hand, Lord lead me home We all started crying uncontrollably. We felt like my tío Pepe was letting us know that he was okay and that he’s still thinking about us. July 27, 2020: My sister in-law and I were looking for a way to comfort tío Pepe’s daughter, Beth, and his wife. My sister in-law thought shadow boxes with photos of tío Pepe, decorated with cardstock flowers, and a sweet message would be a way for us to honor his memory and share in his family’s grieving process. On the box we made for Beth, the message reads “Dad, Grandpa, Best Friend;” on the box we made for his wife the message reads “Amor Eterno” (eternal love). The shadow boxes took us pretty much all day to make—completely worth it. We spent the evening telling stories about my tío Pepe and just spending quality family time together. The shadow boxes are pictured in this post. We used pictures from Beth’s Facebook. Tío Pepe was also very active on Facebook, which was kind of surprising for his age. He was very politically active and critical of our public institutions. According to my dad, tío Pepe has always kept up with current events and sympathized with the Chicano Movement; he was pretty about it, if you know what I mean. The last time he reached out to me on the social media platform was to commemorate our “friendiversary.” That was also the last time I engaged in one-on-one communication with him, which really shreds me up inside. He reached out because he knew that I was stuck at home working and attending grad school. He was always thinking of everyone and our individual challenges, reminding us to keep going. The shadow boxes were a surprise to Beth and her mom. I’ve included the screenshot of our brief conversation shortly after dropping them off. It hurt that I couldn’t get off and hug her. I saw that the just looking at the boxes invoked so much emotion in Beth. August 7, 2020, the funeral service: Our family had to wait two weeks before tío Pepe’s body could be released from the hospital. Throughout those two weeks it felt like I was floating. When you mourn a death time just stops for a couple of days; everything is really out of its element. But mourning a COVID death, having to wait to properly give your loved one a respectful service and not being able to fall into the arms of your relatives, prolonged this motionless feeling. If felt like a comet was slowly crashing into my core; I could feel every bit of my earth tear apart and float away. The service was set up like a drive-in movie. The funeral home had a screen outside of the building, a radio station to air the service, and a livestream on their website. We all drove up to the screen and either tuned in or played the livestream to listen. We had the choice to experience the service inside the building with tío Pepe’s daughter, wife, and grandchildren. However, they all had just gotten over COVID-19 so most of us stayed in our cars. I didn’t think the service would hit me as hard because of the physical distance and technological filter. My family is Catholic, I grew up Catholic, but I haven’t been the most devout member of the church. My tío Pepe lived one street over from the church we all grew up with. By “we” I mean three generations of my family. The deacon who led the service has known my family for at least 20 years. To sum up what I’m getting at, our church and Catholic culture is deeply rooted our family history. The service reduced us all to our childhood; we felt vulnerable. I remember every single prayer and recited all of them word-for-word, English and Spanish. The last time I had recited these prayers was for my grandmother’s funeral. Except this time, I had to go through these emotions on my own. It felt like someone was shooting thumbtacks at me, through me. Tío Pepe’s wife, daughter, grandson, and sister each wrote a few words on behalf of tío Pepe. I don’t know which set of words hurt the most. They all spoke from the heart; they were so raw and resonated so deeply with all of us. I wanted so badly to hug everyone. I was so incredibly mad that we were all put in that situation, to have to have our hearts pulled and constricted at the same time. Tío Pepe’s grandson, Joseph, and his girlfriend are expecting their first baby; tío Pepe would have been a great grandfather. Joseph spent a lot of time with tío Pepe, almost every single day, and he really embodies his pensive, mild nature. His words were strong and grounding. One thing Joseph said that I think really describes how tío Pepe carried himself is, “My grandpa always reminded me to do the right thing.” Tío Pepe treated everything and every situation with a level mind and fairness. No family, no honest and responsible person should have had to experience such ungraspable pain that never really seems to heal. To this day, my family has not physically come together to fill in the gaps in our hearts that this experience left behind. Late August, a virtual birthday commemoration: A couple of weeks after his funeral, tío Pepe would have turned 71. Gabby, the recent Public Health graduate, decided to make my tío Pepe’s favorite cake and offered one to each household. She scheduled a Zoom meeting for all of us to sit, talk, eat, and cry. My dad and the older relatives in my family brought out old photos of from their early years living in the United States. We each shared our favorite memory of tío Pepe. Here’s mine: before I went off to college Tío Pepe told my dad not to worry about me because he sees me as a ‘visionary.’ He reassured my dad and I that I have a good head on my shoulders, that I’m independent, and that if I really put my mind to it I could do anything. That was the first time anyone had given me words of encouragement going into adulthood—or really treated me like an adult. I snapped a picture of my dad talking to our tía Elda (Tío Pepe’s sister) about life in Mexico and the little arguments they’d get into as my dad was growing up. Although we were separated by a screen, this sort of companionship really helped us reconnect. I chose to include this story for this archive to humanize the broader health and historical context of the pandemic. This was both the easiest and hardest thing for me to create for this archive. The easiest because I was able to let the words flow out of my heart and be typed onto a word document; the hardest because I’ve realized just how ripe these feelings and memories still are for me. My emotions and memories of late July and early August have not fully healed. It’s been hard to accept someone’s death without physical closure. There were no last goodbyes, no hugs, no close contact of any kind to seal the wound in our hearts. I’m still longing to physically embrace my family; but for them I’d wait as long as I have to in order to do that safely. I write this as another way to connect with them. To share my deep feelings and let them know that they’re not the only ones who have felt or are feeling this way. Real people, real families exist within the news stories, academic articles, and everchanging statistics. Tío Pepe was much more than a statistic; my family is much more than a statistic. -
2010-11-12
COVID-19 is so bad in the US we can't even decide who has it the worse
The US literally cannot determine which state has the worst COVID infections because it's all just bad. -
2020-11-06
1 in every 15 North Dakotans have tested positive for COVID-19 since March.
“The prevalence of COVID-19 in the state is increasing, and North Dakota's recent surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths is becoming unmanageable. As of Friday, Nov. 6, almost 10,000 North Dakotans are known to be infected with the virus, 613 people have died either due to or with COVID-19 and the state's 14-day average positivity rate on all tests has nearly doubled in one month…North Dakota is performing the worst in the United States with the highest death rate and positive case rate per 100,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” North Dakota is struggling with its surge in cases. The military base that my family and I live on has gone back into HPCON-C (Health Protection Condition- Charlie), which basically means the base is at the level of lockdown that we faced in the beginning of the pandemic. While travel has been discouraged for everyone during the pandemic, military members have had actual movement restrictions put on them, meaning that we haven't seen our family since last year and probably won't be able to again until at least summer of 2021. We were lucky enough to travel to South Dakota for a quick getaway before the fall semester started again, but our trip was cut short due to the spikes in cases in South Dakota. -
2020-10-10
North Dakota state legislative candidate dies due to complications with COVID-19.
This is the obituary of the North Dakota state legislative candidate, Dave Andahl, who won the seat posthumously in the 2020 election. Mr. Andahl died due to complications with COVID-19, a tragic loss for North Dakota communities. “David Dean Andahl, 55, passed away on Oct. 5, 2020. David was born in Bismarck on Oct. 30, 1964, to Ronald and Patricia Andahl. David was passionate about farming and ranching, his home state, and the quality of life of its people. David was known for being a compassionate, generous, ambitious, and inviting soul. He brought a warm light into so many people's lives over the years. Funeral services will be held 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14 at the family farm, 14501 15th St. NW, Bismarck, 58503. For those attending, masks are required; we also ask you to please social distance and provide your own chairs. Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13 at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck. Burial will be held at Baldwin Cemetery. David graduated from Century High School, obtained his associate's degree from Bismarck State College, and attended North Dakota State University, where he studied animal science. After attending NDSU, he pursued one of his lifelong dreams and became a successful professional driver. He was known as "Dakota Dave," because of being from North Dakota, and his commitment to promoting his home state. As president of Dakota Sports Marketing, David showcased the economic and tourism opportunities offered by the state. He connected with former Governor Ed Schafer, who supported the concept, and was a participating dignitary in starting one of his races. Upon retiring from active racing, David worked as a contractor, serving as a professional driving instructor for various large automobile manufacturers and organizations around the country. Some of this work included obtaining high-level security clearance from the United States Government for training that was needed during the war in Afghanistan. David said he learned a great deal from his travels, but North Dakota was always calling him home. David was a partner and general manager of 4T Ranch north of Bismarck. The ranch has been in the Andahl family for three generations and takes its name from the year his grandparents married (1940). As Bismarck grew, many developers expressed interest in segments of 4T Ranch, but David and his family had a vision about the legacy they wanted to leave. In 2013, they founded 4T Ranch Developers, Inc. with David serving as president. They created "The Ranch," a unique rural subdivision with a community feel. His commitment to leaving a legacy called David to serve on the Burleigh County Planning and Zoning Commission for 16 years, including chairing the commission for eight years during a time of rapid growth and change for the region. David cited developing a Comprehensive Plan for Burleigh County as one of the major accomplishments during his tenure, creating a solid foundation for the future. David was interested in doing even more for the state and threw his hat in the ring for the Republican endorsement for the North Dakota House of Representatives from District 8. In the June primary election, David was selected as one of the successful candidates. One of his fondest wishes was to have the opportunity to serve in the legislature. David is survived by his parents, Ronald (Patricia) Andahl; his sister, Darcy; his son, Charles (Tia) Lacy; his adopted grandmother, Joan Zacher; his dear friend, Audrey Ekstrom; his beloved dog, Hank; as well as numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his brother, Ty, his grandparents, and his beloved dogs, Bear and Zeus.” -
2020-08-14
Texas prison system still tops US in virus cases, as deaths and criticism mount
A father who has been incarcerated for 30 years holds a baby prior to imprisonment; this man died in prison without seeing his family during the last months of his life. -
2020-11-04
Nurse and mother of 5 dies of coronavirus
A NICU nurse died of coronavirus after she and family tested positive for it. The doctor claims that she had sepsis, pneumonia and coronavirus when she passed away. She left behind her 5 children. They say that she, "Desired to make the world a better place". -
2020-11-04
A Little Tired
This meme is everything that COVID/riots/election America is right now. Nobody’s talking about it, but suicides are way up. Divorce is way up. Casual alcoholism is widespread. People are doing so many drugs it’s insane. People are visibly deteriorating, not taking care of themselves and it’s showing. Men I know who used to be clean-cut and disciplined aren’t getting haircuts, aren’t shaving, and barely exercise anymore. Depression is the real “new normal.” Everyone is affected. Oppressive government regulations, blatant abuse and murder of American citizens by the police, arbitrary emergency orders, and openly fraudulent election processes have broken the spirits of almost everyone. No one even thinks change is possible anymore. People want this nation to collapse and are now openly saying it. All hope has been lost in the hearts of the average American. It’s funny because it’s TOO relatable for EVERYONE. -
2020-09-01
Overlooked and Undercounted: The Growing Impact of COVID-19 on Assisted Living Facilities
While most states report the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in nursing homes, the number of cases and deaths in assisted living facilities are usually either lumped together with nursing homes or ignored. This not only causes gaps in case data but also leads to the needs of assisted living facilities being ignored. -
2020-11-05
Canada and the Pandemics
This presentation and interpretation focus on Canada during the Spanish Flu as well as COVID and how similar it is to what we are experiencing in 2020. It shows how different Canada reacted to both pandemics and what we can learn in the future. -
2020-11-04
North Dakota state legislature candidate won election but died from COVID
A state legislator who died still won his election. I wonder how many people knew he was dead and how many people just checked the box because it was republican. Considering he died so early I wonder why he wasn't replaced.